Synopses & Reviews
Until now, Andean peasants have primarily been thought of by scholars as isolated subsistence farmers, andquot;resistantandquot; to money and to different markets in the region.
Ethnicity, Markets, and Migration in the Andes overturns this widely held assumption and puts in its place a new perspective as it explores the dynamic between Andean cultural, social, and economic practices and the market forces of a colonial and postcolonial mercantile economy.
Bringing together the work of outstanding scholars in Andean history, anthropology, and ethnohistory, these pioneering essays show how, from the very earliest period of Spanish rule, Andean peasants and their rulers embraced the new economic opportunities and challenged or subverted the new structures introduced by the colonial administration. They also convincingly explain why in the twentieth century the mistaken idea developed that Andean peasants were conservative and unable to participate effectively in different markets, and reveal how closely ethnic inequalities were tied to evolving market relations. Inviting a critical reconsideration of ethnic, class, and gender issues in the context of rural Andean markets, this book will revise the prevailing view of Andean history and provide a more fully informed picture of the complex mercantile activities of Andean peasants.
Review
andquot; A fundamental challenge to established stereotypes of the Andean economy, this book will lead to a rethinking of received ideas. Including work by many of the leading scholars in the field, it will be obligatory reading for those interested in indigenous history and anthropology. It offers a different perspective on the economy by focusing on the indigenous population, and demonstrates conclusively how the Indians succeeded in linking their complex traditional systems with the new opportunities offered by expanded markets.andquot;andmdash;Nathan Wachtel, College de France
Review
andquot;This is an impressive collection of essays [and] a fundamental reference book in Andean studies.andquot;andmdash;Walter Mignolo, Duke University
Synopsis
" A fundamental challenge to established stereotypes of the Andean economy, this book will lead to a rethinking of received ideas. Including work by many of the leading scholars in the field, it will be obligatory reading for those interested in indigenous history and anthropology. It offers a different perspective on the economy by focusing on the indigenous population, and demonstrates conclusively how the Indians succeeded in linking their complex traditional systems with the new opportunities offered by expanded markets."--Nathan Wachtel, College de France
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. [397]-417) and index.
About the Author
Brooke Larson is Associate Professor of History and Director of the Latin American and Caribbean Center at the State University of New York, Stony Brook.
Olivia Harris is Senior Lecturer and Chair of the Anthropology Department at Goldsmithandrsquo;s College, London.
Enrique Tandeter is Chair of the Department of History at the University of Buenos Aires and an Associate at the Center for the Study of State and Society in Buenos Aires.