How difficult it is to be God
Subtitle: Shining Path's politics of war in Peru, 1980-1999
By: Carlos Ivan Degregori ; edited and with an introduction by Steve J. Stern ; translated by Nancy Appelbaum ... [et al.].
Contributors: Stern, Steve J., 1951-; Appelbaum, Nancy P.
Series: Critical human rights; Critical human rights
Publisher: The University of Wisconsin Press; University of Wisconsin Press
Published: 2012
Place of publication: Madison
Language: eng
Number of pages: 250
ISBN-13: 9780299289249; 9780299289232
Subjects: Politics and government; Sendero Luminoso (Guerrilla group); Political violence; Violence; History
Work titles: Qué difícil es ser Dios
Description: "The revolutionary war launched by Shining Path, a Maoist insurgency, was the most violent upheaval in modern Peru's history, claiming some 70,000 lives in the 1980s-1990s and drawing widespread international attention. Yet for many observers, Shining Path's initial successes were a mystery. What explained its cult-like appeal, and what actually happened inside the Andean communities at war? In How Difficult It Is to Be God Carlos Iván Degregori--the world's leading expert on Shining Path and the intellectual architect for Peru's highly regarded Truth and Reconciliation Commission--elucidates the movement's dynamics. An anthropologist who witnessed Shining Path's recruitment of militants in the 1970s, Degregori grounds his findings in deep research and fieldwork. He explains not only the ideology and culture of revolution among the insurgents, but also their capacity to extend their influence to university youths, Indian communities, and competing social and political movements. Making Degregori's most important book available to English-language readers for the first time, this translation includes a new introduction by the editor, historian Steve J. Stern, who analyzes the author's achievement, why it matters, and the debates it sparked. For anyone interested in Peru and Latin America's age of "dirty war," or in the comparative study of revolutions, Maoism, and human rights, this book will provide arresting new insights."--Publisher's website.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.