Magical Writing in Salasaca [electronic resource] : Literacy and Power in Highland Ecuador.
Wogan, Peter.
Boulder : Routledge,
2018.
Explores the connections between beliefs about writing and power in an indigenous village in highland Ecuador. This engaging case study of Salasaca, a village in highland Ecuador, examines indigenous beliefs about writing, such as Day of the Dead name lists, comparisons with weaving, and a witch who kills people listed in his book of names. Magical Writing in Salasaca demonstrates that these beliefs reflect extensive contact with birth certificates, baptism records, and other church and state documents. Wogan's inquiry into the place of literacy in the Salasacas' worldview provides a nuanced look at the power relations between elites and nonelite villagers, at the same time that it imparts an empathetic understanding of alternative ways of viewing ostensibly familiar aspects of the world. Magical Writing in Salasaca will appeal to anyone interested in anthropology, literacy, power, or Latin America.
Contents; Series Editor Preface; Acknowledgments; 1. Introduction; OVERVIEW; ETHNIC CONFLICT; FIELDWORK AND FRIENDSHIPS; 2. Witchcraft and Writing; THE WITCH AND HIS BOOK; PERSONAL ENCOUNTER WITH THE WITCH; WHY HIRE SAN GONZALO?; COMMENTARY ON CONFLICT; 3. Sources of Magical Beliefs; SOURCES FOR BELIEFS IN MAGICAL WRITING; TRIBUTE AND TAXES; LAND TITLES AND CENSUSES; CHURCH LITERACY AND EDUCATION; THEORETICAL CONTEXT; 4. God's Book; RETURNING FROM THE DEAD; IMAGES OF SURVEILLANCE; COMMENTARY ON POWER AND GENDER; 5. The Day of the Dead; COOLING OFF THE DEAD SOULS; APPROPRIATING CHURCH POWER
PATTERNS OF APPROPRIATIONMAGICAL WRITING IN COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE; 6. Weaving and Writing; SALASACA COMPARISONS BETWEEN WEAVING AND WRITING; EUROPEANS/NORTH AMERICANS AND WRITING; A TOURIST PAMPHLET; STEREOTYPES; 7. Conclusion; References; Index
Includes bibliographical references (pages 153-167) and index.
Description based on print version record.
Description based upon print version of record.
Explores the connections between beliefs about writing and power in an indigenous village in highland Ecuador. This engaging case study of Salasaca, a village in highland Ecuador, examines indigenous beliefs about writing, such as Day of the Dead name lists, comparisons with weaving, and a witch who kills people listed in his book of names. Magical Writing in Salasaca demonstrates that these beliefs reflect extensive contact with birth certificates, baptism records, and other church and state documents. Wogan's inquiry into the place of literacy in the Salasacas' worldview provides a nuanced look at the power relations between elites and nonelite villagers, at the same time that it imparts an empathetic understanding of alternative ways of viewing ostensibly familiar aspects of the world. Magical Writing in Salasaca will appeal to anyone interested in anthropology, literacy, power, or Latin America.
Quechua Indians
Literacy
Indian magic