These 19 essays, compiled from the proceedings of a conference held in Quito in April 1990, offer an array of interdisciplinary perspectives on the relationship between violence and power in the Andean region from the sixteenth century to the present. Although the volume lacks a clearly defined thematic focus, these disparate essays do present an intriguing sample of the methods and approaches scholars utilize to interpret the complex history of the Andean region since the European invasion.
Despite the diversity of these essays, several important themes do emerge. After Henrique Urbano’s discursive introduction, the contributions by Ana Sánchez, Javier F. Flores Espinosa, and Gabriela Ramos use Inquisition records to examine the intersection of religious doctrine and popular society during the colonial era. The subsequent six essays (by Mark Thurner, Charles Walker, Víctor Peralta Ruiz, Cecilia Méndez, Christine Hünefeldt, and Nelson Manrique) deal with differing aspects of the conflict between the state and Andean peasants from the late eighteenth to the early twentieth century. The remaining essays discuss the role of the state, ethnic and racial tensions, traditional rituals and beliefs, and economic development in promoting violence throughout the Andean region during the twentieth century. Benjamin Orlove, María Isabel Remy, Deborah Poole, and Andrés Guerrero, for example, analyze the way violence and changing cultural patterns are portrayed in several Andean popular festivals. Xavier Izko, Linda Seligmann, and Martha Moscoso discuss how state policies and economic modernization led to socioeconomic problems for Andean peasants and workers. Gonzalo Portocarrero examines the link between popular superstitions and the rumors in Lima’s slums that mysterious strangers were conspiring to kidnap local children and sell their eyes and other vital organs to foreign hospitals. Finally, Carlos Iván Degregori examines the reasons behind the spread of the Shining Path movement in Ayacucho since 1982.
Although the individual essays provide a wealth of research findings and methodological perspectives, they make a very eclectic mix of topics, chronological periods, and geographical regions. Some of the essays, such as Christine Hünefeldt’s treatment of state fiscal policies and the peasant communities of Puno from 1840 to 1890, are concise but polished scholarly treatments. A few others, however, are short, exploratory pieces, more suitable as conference papers than as chapters in a collection. Nevertheless, the broad mix of disciplinary approaches in this volume deals with important topics—the role of the state, market forces, popular ideology and mentalities, folklore and religion, and regional ethnic tensions that are central to much recent Andean research. As a result, the collection provides a fine introduction to the rich and diverse scholarly literature dealing with the Andean world from the sixteenth century to the present.