Synopses & Reviews
Citizenship and Political Violence in Peru recounts the hidden history of how local processes of citizen formation in an Andean town were persistently overruled from the nineteenth century on, thereby perpetuating antagonism toward the Peruvian state and political centralism. The analysis points to the importance of two long-term processes. One reflected the memory of earlier municipal citizenship and the possibilities of political change; the other stemmed from the outlawing of political opposition which pushed radical dissent underground and into extremism, creating the conditions for the political violence in the 1980s. The book builds on the detailed study of a unique municipal archive in Tarma and ethnographic research from both before and after the violence.
Review
Review
Endorsements to come
Review
'Aiming to historicize the violence of Peru's 1980s and 1990s, Fiona Wilson's solid study provides fresh insights on nineteenth-century participation, the political history of teachers, and twentieth century radicalism. . . (and) draws on an especially rich collection of municipal archive documents, local newspapers and interviews . . . Wilson has produced a thoughtful work that furthers our understanding of the hierarchical origins of Peru's bloody civil war violence.' - Latin American Studies
'An absorbing account of the long-term origins of Peru's Shining Path movement in the region of Tarma. Local visionary Vienrich's suicide in 1908, centralist throttling of municipal and provincial independence, APRA's betrayal, and the sellout to foreign capital—all drove radical teachers and 'civilizers' into a dead end. This book is essential reading for all interested in Peru and the origins of modern violence.' - Tristan Platt, Professor, Department of Social Anthropology, University of St Andrews, Scotland, UK
'This fine study of local politics is an excellent tool for discussing citizenship in the Andes. It brings together scholarship on Peru and current debates on politics, culture, and development, combined with patient archive work, thoughtful use of interviews, and a long and deep understanding of culture and politics in Peru. Fiona Wilson's work on Tarma inaugurates a new research agenda for the study of local political cultures in the Andes.' - Patricia Oliart, Head of Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies, Newcastle University, UK
'This book enlarges our knowledge of radicalism as well as democracy in action. It adds a new name to the roster of its distinguished pioneers in Peru, that of Adolfo Vienrich operating in the context of the Andean provincial town of Tarma at the turn of the twentieth century. Fiona Wilson always surprises us with innovative thoughts and subjects, impeccable research, and clear writing.' - Enrique Mayer, Professor Emeritus, Department of Anthropology, Yale University, USA
Synopsis
Exploring how restrictions on citizenship helped create conditions for political violence in Peru, this book recounts the hidden history of how local processes of citizen formation in an Andean town were persistently overruled, thereby perpetuating antagonism toward the state and political centralism in Peru.
Synopsis
Citizenship and Political Violence in Peru recounts the hidden history of how local processes of citizen formation in an Andean were persistently overruled from the nineteenth century on, thereby perpetuating antagonism toward the Peruvian state and political centralism. The analysis points to the importance of two long-term processes. One reflected the memory of earlier municipal citizenship and the possibilities of political change; the other stemmed from the outlawing of political opposition which pushed radical dissent underground and into extremism, creating the conditions for the political violence in the 1980s. The book builds on the detailed study of a unique municipal archive in Tarma and ethnographic research from both before and after the violence.
Synopsis
Citizenship and Political Violence in Peru recounts the hidden history of how local processes of citizen formation in an Andean town were persistently overruled from the nineteenth century on, thereby perpetuating antagonism toward the Peruvian state and political centralism. The analysis points to the importance of two long-term processes. One reflected the memory of earlier municipal citizenship and the possibilities of political change; the other stemmed from the outlawing of political opposition which pushed radical dissent underground and into extremism, creating the conditions for the political violence in the 1980s. The book builds on the detailed study of a unique municipal archive in Tarma and ethnographic research from both before and after the violence.
About the Author
Fiona Wilson is Professor Emeritus at the Institute for Society and Globalization at Roskilde University, Denmark and the former Leader of the Governance Team at the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, UK. She has coordinated the research programs 'Democratizing Latin America?' and 'Livelihood, identity, and organization in situations of instability' and has published widely on citizenship issues in the Andes, gender and informality in Mexico, and development aid and rights.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The Provincial Council in Action: 1870 to 1914
3. Local Democracy and the Radical Challenge: 1870 to 1914
4. Adolfo Vienrich, Tarma's Radical Intellectual: 1867 to 1908
5. The Politics of Folklore: 1900 to 1930
6. Indigenismo and the Second Radical Wave: 1910 to 1930
7. The Promise of APRA: 1930 to 1950
8. Teachers Defy the State: 1950 to 1980
9. Citizenship in Retrospect