Customer Reviews

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

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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.

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.