Degree Type
Honors Capstone Project
Date of Submission
Spring 5-1-2009
Capstone Advisor
Matthew Cleary
Honors Reader
John Burdick
Capstone Major
International Relations
Capstone College
Citizenship and Public Affairs
Audio/Visual Component
no
Capstone Prize Winner
no
Won Capstone Funding
no
Honors Categories
Social Sciences
Subject Categories
International and Area Studies | Latin American Studies
Abstract
For my Capstone Project, I compared and contrasted indigenous movements in Ecuador, Bolivia, and Peru. In my preliminary research of Latin American indigenous movements, I noted that Ecuador and Bolivia have had the most successful indigenous movements at the national level in the region while Peru’s indigenous groups have lagged behind the mobilization fervor. Although Peru has a large indigenous population, even higher than the proportion of indigenous groups in Ecuador, its indigenous movement has not transpired passed the local level.
To help explain this anomaly, I consulted several texts to compare theories about what made indigenous movements in Bolivia and Ecuador successful nationally and about why Peru lacked an indigenous movement. On the basis of the theories I researched as well as lessons learned from prior courses, I drew conclusions that I applied in my thesis.
Most importantly, I found that Peru’s indigenous case is not a result of geographic hindrances or elite oppression since its geography and existent racist attitudes are similar to Ecuador and Bolivia. Rather, the violence caused by Sendero Luminoso, the Peruvian military, and the Fujimori regime inhibited indigenous mobilization in Peru because its indígenas did not have the same resources available to indigenous peoples in Ecuador and Bolivia (such as funding from transnational actors). Although indigenous movements in Ecuador and Bolivia are not identical, the comparisons between these two movements and Peru’s indigenous peoples highlight the hindrances of its indigenous mobilization.
Recommended Citation
Brigham, Sarah, "Indigenous Mobilization and its Effects on the Political Process: the Transformation of Indigenous Identities in Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia" (2009). Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All. 500.
https://surface.syr.edu/honors_capstone/500
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