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Making Indigenous Citizens: Identities, Education, and Multicultural Development in Peru

Making Indigenous Citizens: Identities, Education, and Multicultural Development in Peru
By Maria Elena Garcia

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Set against conventional views of Peru as a place where indigenous mobilization has been absent, this book examines the complex, contentious politics between intercultural activists, local Andean indigenous community members, state officials, non-governmental organizations, and transnationally-educated indigenous intellectuals. It examines the paradoxes and possibilities of Quechua community protests against intercultural bilingual education, official multicultural policies implemented by state and non-state actors, and the training of “authentic” indigenous leaders far from their home communities.

Focusing on important local sites of transnational connections, especially in the highland communities of Cuzco, and on an international academic institute for the study of intercultural bilingual education, this book shows how contemporary indigenous politics are inextricably and simultaneously local and global. In exploring some of the seeming contradictions of Peruvian indigenous politics, Making Indigenous Citizens suggests that indigenous movements and citizenship are articulated in extraordinary but under-explored ways in Latin America and beyond.

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #288565 in Books
  • Published on: 2005-03-24
  • Released on: 2005-03-24
  • Original language: English
  • Number of items: 1
  • Binding: Paperback
  • 232 pages

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...without question an essential new read."--Journal of Latin American Anthropology
"García's book is a timely and welcome addition to the growing body of scholarly literature on the current wave of indigenous movements in Latin America. García takes as a departing point the rejection of conventional views on Peru... She is able to make a compelling and fascinating case for the existence of strong indigenous politics in Peru around issues of culture, education, identity, and citizenship... A new conceptualization of social movements' theory is needed... [and] the book's success in proving these points, by combining theoretical sophistication, solid fieldwork, and writing clarity, show that this is certainly the most stimulating and fruitful path to explore the struggles of indigenous peoples in contemporary Latin America."—Estudios Interdisciplinarios de America Latina y el Caribe


"This book makes a substantive contribution to the rapidly burgeoning literature on indigenous activists and development... it demonstrates convincingly that the rejection of bilingual education inherently reflected fears of affirming ethnic identity because such an identity still implied second-class citizenship."—Hispanic American Historical Review


"Garcia has fashioned a book thats terrific in every way. Her subject is the politics of culture, tradition, and identity in the Andes, and its the best thing Ive read on the topic in as long as I can remember. Making Indigenous Citizens will become a key book in scholarship about the Andes and Latin America."—Orin Starn, Duke University

From the Inside Flap

Set against conventional views of Peru as a place where indigenous mobilization has been absent, this book examines the complex, contentious politics between intercultural activists, local Andean indigenous community members, state officials, non-governmental organizations, and transnationally-educated indigenous intellectuals. It examines the paradoxes and possibilities of Quechua community protests against intercultural bilingual education, official multicultural policies implemented by state and non-state actors, and the training of “authentic” indigenous leaders far from their home communities.
Focusing on important local sites of transnational connections, especially in the highland communities of Cuzco, and on an international academic institute for the study of intercultural bilingual education, this book shows how contemporary indigenous politics are inextricably and simultaneously local and global. In exploring some of the seeming contradictions of Peruvian indigenous politics, Making Indigenous Citizens suggests that indigenous movements and citizenship are articulated in extraordinary but under-explored ways in Latin America and beyond.

From the Back Cover

“Garcia has fashioned a book that’s terrific in every way. Her subject is the politics of culture, tradition, and identity in the Andes, and it’s the best thing I’ve read on the topic in as long as I can remember. Making Indigenous Citizens will become a key book in scholarship about the Andes and Latin America.”—Orin Starn, Duke University
“...without question an essential new read.”--Journal of Latin American Anthropology

Customer Reviews

Do not miss this incredibly important addition to Andean and indigenous studies!!!5
Maria Elena Garcia, an anthropologist who has worked for years in the Cusco area of the Peruvian Andes has written an amazingly smart, compact and readable work on indigenous Quechua organizing. Combine this with Marisol de la Cadena's Indigenous Mestizos and you have the most complete, historically profound discussion of the eternal question: In a country with so many indigenous, why has Peru not established a national Indian movement like its neighbors in Ecuador (Quichua), Chile (Mapuche) and Bolivia (Ayamara/Quechua)?? Garcia smashes our preconceived notions of what counts as indigenous and who dictates the form of how indigeneity is perceived from a transnational perspective. This book fills a huge gap in the literature on indigenous movements in the Andes: it should be on the bookshelves of every student of indigeneity or the Andes, it would be an excellent assignment for undergraduate or graduate classes and it should also interest people who simply want to better understand this fascinating and long-suffering country. Wonderfully profound and enjoyable work from an exciting new scholar. Also recommended in combination is Orin Starn's Nightwatch.

Ethnography at its best5
I would second what the other reviewer said. The book is refreshingly free of jargon and written with an open, humble tone. The author clearly is a good listener who does not jump to quick conclusions or make snap judgments about people. Her discussion of the controversies over bilingual education programs in Peru--and the differing views of state officials, ngos, activists, and community members--is fascinating, as is the discussion in the last full chapter of changing notions of what it means to be indigenous. Again, no post-modern jargon here--just an eye for complexity. She also offer some challenging thoughts on the notion of Peru having an absence of indigenous activism compared to Ecuador or Bolivia. Again, she does that with a lack of pretension or scholarly self-righteousness that is welcom. I just used it with my undergrads in a polisci class with great success. If this topic interests you, this is an important book to read.