Dancing at the Corner of the Dead: Remembering and Forgetting in Post- Conflict Ayacucho, Peru) Prof K Neumann, FHAD; Ms Michaela Callaghan
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"#$%$&'()#!*+!,#-!!"#$%&'%!.$/!01(2-1-/!3-!4567#$/!3(67-!%#-5'!89'(1!0('652(1!3(67-!56!%#-!"1(:(!;(<$'!$=! >9(?(6&(! !"#$%&'()*(#+(**(,'(-# ./01%22)3#%-#242(*#5/*5%*1)-2#45#2')#6)7/%6)1)-28#546# #2')#3),6))#45#94&246#45 Philosophy 2>?5# A')#.B%-0/6-)#C-82%2/2)#546#.4&%(*#D)8)(6&'# .B%-0/6-)#E-%F)68%2"#45#A)&'-4*4,"# $)*04/6-)G#</826(*%(# ! ! Abstract ! Since the 1980s there has been a steady increase in the investigation of dance as a site of identity-construction and as a source of non-verbal knowledge. Nevertheless, very little research considers dance as a site of collective memory. This thesis responds to the oversight and argues that dance is a significant site of collective memory-making, especially in the Andes where dance remains central to social, cultural and political life. This thesis examines the embodied expression of dance as collective remembering and forgetting in the Peruvian department of Ayacucho, in the central-southern Andes. While the state, human rights groups and various NGOs continue to struggle over the memorialisation of the recent political violence (1980–2000), debating what should be remembered and how, the people of Ayacucho dance to remember and to forget. Ayacuchanos are now salvaging dances and fiestas that were lost or forgotten during the years of conflict. Although the dances of Ayacucho do not retain overt references to the twenty years of internal conflict, the violence is the backdrop which informs the need to dance. This thesis examines the corporeal expressions of dance to reveal how dance is used to communicate and to remind Ayacuchanos of a pre-violent past and thus, to forget the recent violence. It uses embodied research techniques to reveal the dance as a deep embodiment of the broader concerns of the people of Ayacucho.! It argues that dance plays a significant role in the collective memory-making practices of Ayacuchanos as they search for a history that makes sense of what happened.! ! ! Declaration This thesis contains no material which has been accepted for the award to the candidate of any other degree or diploma. To the best of my knowledge it contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the text. This text has been proof-read and copy-edited by Mary-Jo O’Rourke, accredited Editor with the Institute of Professional Editors, 28 March 2014. The editing detected and corrected errors and inconsistencies in the text including accepted spelling, punctuation, grammar and usage and ensured accuracy and completeness of references. It did not change the substantive content of the thesis. Michaela Callaghan April 2014 ! ! Acknowledgements ! This project has provided me with the wonderful opportunity of bringing together my two worlds: the world of dance and the world of academia. It has been a long and interesting journey and I have learnt much along the way. I would like to acknowledge and thank the many people who have helped me along the path in so many varied ways. I would like to start by thanking my supervisors Klaus Neumann, Barry Carr and Sandra Gifford for their support of this research. I would like to acknowledge Klaus Neumann for encouraging me to investigate dance as a form of memory. His extensive knowledge of the field of memory studies and his rigorous standards were invaluable. I am very thankful to Barry Carr who taught me during my first Latin American history class in the first year of my undergraduate degree. His passion for Latin American history, culture and politics along with his broad knowledge inspired me throughout my undergraduate studies. As my PhD supervisor he has always managed to combine high standards tempered with a sense of compassion and humour. In addition, I am grateful to Sandy Gifford for joining my supervisory team towards the end of my project. Her knowledge of anthropology combined with her positivity afforded me new vigour. I consider myself fortunate to have received the input of all three supervisors. Each brought a different element to the project and contributed to my growth as a scholar. In 2008 I embarked on a reconnaissance mission to Peru in order to determine where to base myself during my extended fieldwork in 2009. Peruvian friends in Australia, Iván Castañeda and Abel Rozas contacted their families and friends who all welcomed me with open arms. I stayed with Margarita Alayo in Rímac in 2008 and again for a short time in 2009. We became great friends and she showed me daily life living in inner-city Lima. Sadly, she passed away in 2009, but I will always remember her fierce spirit, strength and generosity. I am also grateful to her son Victor for his assistance and guidance in and around Lima. When I returned in 2009, I lived in Canto Grande in Lima. I am ever grateful to Victoria, Elena, Ivan and Victor. They welcomed me into their family with a warmth and big-heartedness that made me feel at home in Peru. Special thanks to Victoria for cooking for me and providing practical tips to keep me safe. I am thankful also to Valdemar Cordoba for his unwavering friendship and making the daily experience of living in Canto Grande so enjoyable and for his support when I received news of the fires. I am thankful also to the openness and generosity of the academics I met Peru, including Gisela Capea Koch, Raúl Romero, John Earls, Abilio Vergara, Chalena Vásquez, and María Eugenia Ulfe. I appreciate that they all took the time to answer questions and to share their knowledge of dance, the arts, memory, the internal conflict, Peruvian history, and Ayacucho. In particular I wish to acknowledge Ponciano del Pino. He introduced me to the archivists at the INC in Huamanga and also to a number of v scholars and artists including Edilberto Jímenez and Tamara Feinstein, both of whom became friends. I enjoyed many informative and thought provoking discussions with Edilberto about both the internal conflict, and the role of the arts in memory-making since the conflict. Edilberto also provided me with some invaluable resources from his own collection. Tamara was generous in introducing me to contacts that she had established for her own research at APRODEH, SER and the Defensoria de Pueblo. I am grateful to the members of these institutions for their assistance and for making their archives available to me. Martin Scurrah and Maria Mayer generously welcomed me into their home and offered me warm friendship. Fieldwork can be a lonely time. I was fortunate to never feel alone during my time in Peru. The Ayacuchanos I met and worked with were generous of spirit and welcoming. I wish to express my heartfelt thanks to the many Ayacuchanos who shared their stories, friendship and dances with me. Gabriel Quispe is a kind and generous man who became a good friend. His guidance, support and insights have been invaluable. Roberto Ayala is a gentle young man with a passion for scholarship, his friendship and the introductions he facilitated were indispensable. Ricardo Huamán was a great friend and very helpful in many ways. Willy Castro and the dancers of Peru Ancestral, with whom I rehearsed up to three times a week, welcomed me into their elenco and invited me to perform with them on a number of occasions. My embodied understanding of Ayacuchano dance was greatly aided by these experiences. Porfirio Guisante and Gerardo Muñoz allowed me to attend many FEDACWA meetings, and gave me access to film and photograph competitions, dances and meetings and to speak to concurso participants during Rural Carnival. Edith del Pino offered friendship and her insights, keeping me informed of events and activities. Marie Scot, the director of the INC in Huamanga, and the archivists assisted me with my data collection. The priests and staff of St Francis Cathedral opened their archives and trusted me to spend many hours alone with precious records. The librarian at UNSCH generously allowed me to borrow many books at a time. Members of SER Paz y Esperanza and the Loyola Centre were also very generous with providing contacts and information. I would like to acknowledge and to thank my parents for their unwavering belief in me and always encouraging me. I am grateful to Anthony Pacheco for his love and generous support and for making me laugh, especially through the final stages of the process. I also appreciate the many friends who have helped me along the journey in many varied ways; Margaret Reith for taking the time to read my drafts and make helpful suggestions and to both Margaret and Darryl for providing me with a home when I returned from Peru and for helping me with the logistics of replacing some of what was burned during the Black Saturday fires. Thanks also to Terri Shaw for her encouragement. I also wish to acknowledge Natasha Roe for her wisdom and guidance. I acknowledge the support I have received from the Swinburne Institute for Social Research over the course of my candidature. I had been in Peru only weeks when the vi fires swept through Victoria and I lost all my material possessions. I am thankful to Klaus Neumann for his support at this difficult time, which was above and beyond the call of a supervisor. I also appreciate the support of Swinburne University of Technology that funded my unexpected return and to members of the Swinburne Institute for Social Research for their support. I am particularly grateful to my fellow PhD candidates at the SISR who were a constant source of motivation.