Political participation of indigenous Amazonians in Peru : the case of the Shipibo-Konibos
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Abstract: This study uses theories from anthropology, political science, and sociology, together with an international law framework, to understand the political participation of the Shipibo-Konibos, indigenous Amazonians of eastern Peru. It explains why Peru's native peoples do not follow the generic sequence of indigenous social movements in Latin America in their quest for rights of self-determination. Using an original case study of the Shipibo-Konibo nation, including analyses of the historical record and of data collected using anthropological field methods, I argue: (i) that the politics of equal interaction is a better analytical model than identity politics for understanding indigenous political participation in Peru; (ii) that colonization has weakened Shipibo-Konibo's cultural, social and political customs and their spirit of resistance, resulting in their systematic co-optation by the state, which hindered their autonomous organizational development; (iii) that despite several decades of political activity, the Shipibo-Konibo have not achieved a bona fide social movement (one that is continuous and systematic), but rather have engaged in repeated discrete campaigns or "waves" of social mobilization; (iv) that Shipibo-Konibo identity has been weakened by an array of forces acting over time, and this weakening partially explains the lack of advancement from mobilization to genuine movement; (v) that the new political process of the Shipibo-Konibos — namely, participation in municipal elections — is paradoxical in the sense that they have not yet implemented an indigenous agenda in municipal politics; (vi) that attaining municipal power in the majority of Shipibo-Konibo districts has had both positive and negative effects, empowering their collective identity and cultural revival on the one hand, but resulting in political schisms and disillusionment of the populace due to poor performance by most indigenous mayors, on the other. The thesis contributes to the older political, sociological and anthropological debate about Peru's exceptionalism with regard to indigenous social movements. It also offers a recommendation for indigenous organizations about ways that the long quest for rights of self-determination can be implemented in a realistic manner in Latin America.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Form | electronic; electronic resource; remote |
| Extent | 1 online resource. |
| Publication date | 2010 |
| Issuance | monographic |
| Language | English |
Creators/Contributors
| Associated with | Hilario, Miguel Walter |
|---|---|
| Associated with | Stanford University, Department of Anthropological Sciences |
| Primary advisor | Durham, William H |
| Thesis advisor | Durham, William H |
| Thesis advisor | Irvine, Dominique |
| Thesis advisor | Karl, Terry Lynn, 1947- |
| Advisor | Irvine, Dominique |
| Advisor | Karl, Terry Lynn, 1947- |
Subjects
| Genre | Theses |
|---|
Bibliographic information
| Statement of responsibility | Miguel Walter Hilario. |
|---|---|
| Note | Submitted to the Department of Anthropological Sciences. |
| Thesis | Thesis (Ph. D.)--Stanford University, 2010. |
| Location | electronic resource |
Access conditions
- Copyright
- © 2010 by Miguel Walter Hilario
- License
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-NC).
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