Indigenous People in Peru
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document in english
geography
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published 27/07/2006
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SummaryGregorio and Asunta, a Peruvian Indian couple, tell their life stories in “Andean lives”, a pair of autobiographical narratives edited by two young anthropologists. The story takes place in the highlands of Peru, where millions of indigenous inhabitants who represent the cultural majority, suffer from exploitation and domination. Indeed highland area retains its predominantly Indian culture and traditions. Cuzco, the ancient Incan capital, remains the centre of traditional Indian society today.. In total, the highlands give Peru the fourth highest concentration of Indians in all Latin America. These narratives are first hand testimony and represent one of the first attempts to make indigenous people tell their life stories. This book is very rich and tells us the brutality of everyday life in the highlands in both urban and rural areas. It covers a broad aspect of their lives.
In this essay I will focus on specific issues related in these narratives. I will talk about the social structure of the highlands and then explore the experiences of the indigenous people living in the highlands with racism and domination. Indeed despite the fact that the indigenous people compose a majority in the highlands they are dominated and exploited by the higher social classes. Thus we can wonder how the specific class structure of the highlands allows such dramatic life conditions for indigenous people.
In this essay I will focus on specific issues related in these narratives. I will talk about the social structure of the highlands and then explore the experiences of the indigenous people living in the highlands with racism and domination. Indeed despite the fact that the indigenous people compose a majority in the highlands they are dominated and exploited by the higher social classes. Thus we can wonder how the specific class structure of the highlands allows such dramatic life conditions for indigenous people.
Table of Contents
- Between tradition and modernity: the highlands social structure
- The runas
- The relationships with others social classes
- Domination, exploitation and discrimination: the violence of everyday life in the highlands
- The culture of domination
- Discrimination and racism
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