Indigenous Mestizos: The Politics of Race and Culture in Cuzco, Peru, 1919-1991

by Marisol de la Cadena

In the early twentieth century, Peruvian intellectuals, unlike their European counterparts, rejected biological categories of race as a basis for discrimination. But this did not eliminate social hierarchies; instead, it redefined racial categories as cultural differences, such as differences in education or manners. In Indigenous Mestizos Marisol de la Cadena traces the history of the notion of race from this turn-of-the-century definition to a hegemony of racism in Peru. De la Cadena’s ethnographically and historically rich study examines how indigenous citizens of the city of Cuzco have been conceived by others as well as how they have viewed themselves and places these conceptions within the struggle for political identity and representation. Demonstrating that the terms Indian and mestizo are complex, ambivalent, and influenced by social, legal, and political changes, she provides close readings of everyday concepts such as marketplace identity, religious ritual, grassroots dance, and popular culture, as well as of such common terms as respect , decency , and education . She shows how Indian has come to mean an indigenous person without economic and educational means—one who is illiterate, impoverished, and rural. Mestizo , on the other hand, has come to refer to an urban, usually literate, and economically successful person claiming indigenous heritage and participating in indigenous cultural practices. De la Cadena argues that this version of de-Indianization—which, rather than assimilation, is a complex political negotiation for a dignified identity—does not cancel the economic and political equalities of racism in Peru, although it has made room for some people to reclaim a decolonized Andean cultural heritage. This highly original synthesis of diverse theoretical arguments brought to bear on a series of case studies will be of interest to scholars of cultural anthropology, postcolonialism, race and ethnicity, gender studies, and history, in addition to Latin Americanists.

Genres: History, Latin American History, Race

424 pages, Paperback

First published February 7, 2000

About the author

Marisol de la Cadena is Professor of Anthropology at the University of California, Davis, and the author of Earth Beings: Ecologies of Practice across Andean Worlds, also published by Duke University Press.

Reviews

[Jaime · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author explores how racism works in contemporary Peru by brilliantly analyzing the building of a legitimized narrative of cultural discrimination in Cusco throughout the 20th century. Her concept of de-Indianization (which allows her to propose the category of indigenous mestizos) is both provocative and productive because it helps to grasp the complexities of both social identities and racism. Great book.

[Naomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was all over the place both topic-wise and methodology-wise. She ranges from judicial documents on defense of indian rebellions in the 1920s to ethnographic field study of mayordomos in folkloric dance groups in the 1990s. I consider myself interested in both Peru and racial/ethnic identity issues, but I'm not sure I'd recommend this book unless it were your specific fascination.

[hh · Rating 3 out of 5]

background. the writing is sometimes dense, but this is the go-to overview on indigenous relations in 20th century peru. not a jaunty read, but useful