Civilisations vol. 60 (1)

Forthcoming spring 2011

Collective Identities in Andean America

Guest editors: Lydia Andrés and Matthieu Le Quang

Several populations live in Andean America (Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia). These populations have variously been a focus of research in social sciences, which additionally have all too often tended to deal with the populations separately. This thematic issue aims to break with this intellectual habit. Developing different questions which all have in common to deal with ethnicity, this volume will privilege a multidisciplinary approach and revolve around three axes, in order to better grasp the complexities of ethnicity in Andean America.

1. Racism and Discrimination. Implicit and explicit discriminations based upon the idea of race frame the relations between groups and between individuals, and are a fundamental part of cultures and lives in Andean America. Even if diversity is recognized in all the countries evoked above, and if the populations of the different states recognize the existence of diverse ethnic groups, social sciences are forced to deal with local categories and distinctions made by populations in order to approach the reality and endurance of classifications and terminologies. And yet, the legacy of colonialism still plays here a very significant role: blacks, whites, mestizos, indigenous people. These are the images that frame the perception of the Other, and that feed racism and discrimination in carrying prejudices and stereotypes. What are the forms of racism that are here at play? How should ethnicity be understood in this context? How does such framework shape relations between individuals and between groups? What are the consequences of racism? In which contexts and how is racism manifested?

2. Social and Political Mobilizations. The emergence of ethnic movements, mostly indigenous, since the 1960s, gave a new wind to resistances that were sometimes centuries old, and also gave a new visibility to the situation of exclusion of numerous ethnic groups. If in the 1970s, ethnicity was the issue motivating many mobilizations, these social movements have played since then a particularly important role in the construction of ethnicities and in the related claims. Although a great amount of research has focused on the study of indigenous movements, it is important not to conceal other ethnically-oriented movements, for example Afro-American mobilizations. Important social movements have emerged since the 1980s, influencing national and local political agendas, and leading to a strong political participation in certain countries, with the creation of political instruments like the MAS-IPSP in Bolivia or the Pachakutik movement in Ecuador. What have been the results of such mobilizations at both the social and the political level? Have these mobilizations had an impact on the living conditions of the various ethnic groups involved? What have been the effects of the institutionalization of ethnic movements on the social and political scene? What conclusions can be drawn about the political participation of the various populations in Andean America?

3. Migration. Migration is a phenomenon that has existed for long in Andean America, but that has received more attention in the last few years, especially because of the impact of migrations from countries of the South on the economies of countries in the North. As a consequence, internal migrations in Andean countries has received much less attention. In this issue, we will address the question of internal and intra-regional migrations, and explore the relations existing between migrations and ethnic groups. Migrations lead to social and cultural changes in departure zones, transit zones and receiving societies. Are these types of change similar for the different ethnic groups? Who are the migrants? What are the differences between the migrations of an Otavaleño from Ecuador, an Aymara from Bolivia and a mestizo from Colombia? Where do these actors go and what do they do? What are the different reasons for these migrations? What are the consequences?

The contributions to this issue will promote a comparative approach between the different Andean populations, and will contribute to discuss theoretically the notions of identity and ethnicity, around which this issue of the journal intends to encourage more general debate.

Propositions of articles either in English or French (title + 250 words abstract) should be sent before the 18 January 2010 both to the editorial board of the journal (civilisations@ulb.ac.be and jnoret@ulb.ac.be) and to the guest editors of the journal issue, Lydia Andrés (landres@flacso.org.ec) and Matthieu Le Quang (matthieu.lequang1@univ-lyon2.fr).

Civilisations is a peer-reviewed journal of anthropology. Published continuously since 1951, it features articles in French and English in the various fields of anthropology, without regional or time limitations. Revived in 2002 with a new editorial board and a new subtitle (Revue internationale d'anthropologie et de sciences humaines), Civilisations particularly encourage the submission of articles where anthropological approaches meet other social sciences, to better tackle processes of society making.

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