AFRO-PERUVIAN SOCIAL ACTIVISTS: AN INTER-GENERATIONAL STUDY By ESHE LYNDZIE LEWIS A THESIS PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2012 1 © 2012 Eshe Lyndzie Lewis 2 To Mom, Daddy, Liz and Aziza 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank the Center for Latin American Studies for granting me the funds to carry out this research. Thank you to Dr. Harrison, my advisor, for your insight and comments, and to my other committee members, Dr. Kane and Dr. Kernaghan for supporting my work. To Dr. Krull, thank-you for sparking my interest in inter- generational relationships. To the Mosquera-Rosado family, thank you for welcoming me into your home and your lives with open arms, and for supporting my research during my time in Peru, and to my sister Ana-Lucia, thank-you for introducing me to youth activism and to a different side of Lima. I would like to thank all of the dedicated activists who shared their experiences, thoughts, and hopes for the future with me. You inspire me to keep working. Without your cooperation and encouragement this thesis would never have been possible. I hope what follows will in some way be useful to you all as you continue to progress. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................................. 4 LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................... 8 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................................................. 9 ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................... 10 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION: SITUATING AFRO-DESCENDANTS AND ACTIVISM IN LIMA ....................................................................................................................... 11 The Condition of Afro-descendants in Latin America .............................................. 12 Conceptualizing Race and Ethnicity in Peru ........................................................... 13 A Brief Look at Race Relations and Ideology in Peru ............................................. 15 The Legacy of Afro-descendants in Lima ................................................................ 16 Afro-Peruvian Social Activism in Lima .................................................................... 17 The Call for Afro-descendant Youth Activists .......................................................... 18 The Importance of Age and Generation in Social Relations and in Society ............ 19 Defining Generation ......................................................................................... 19 The Ambiguity of “Youth” .................................................................................. 20 Research Questions ............................................................................................... 21 Methods .................................................................................................................. 22 In-Depth Interviews ................................................................................................. 22 Archival Analysis ..................................................................................................... 23 Ethical Dilemmas .................................................................................................... 24 Chapter Overviews ................................................................................................. 25 2 FRAMING AFRO-LIMEÑO SOCIAL ACTIVISM ..................................................... 27 Theorizing Social Movements ................................................................................. 27 Shifting to New Social Movement Theory ............................................................... 30 The Afro-Peruvian Cultural Renaissance: the Creation of Identity and the Beginnings of Social Activism .............................................................................. 32 A Note on Collective Action Groups ........................................................................ 35 Early Afro-Peruvian Activist Groups ........................................................................ 36 A Resumé of the MNFC .......................................................................................... 37 The Geography of the MNFC ........................................................................... 38 Fractures in the MNFC ..................................................................................... 39 The Emergence of CEDET ..................................................................................... 39 CEDET Activities .................................................................................................... 44 Publications ...................................................................................................... 44 Activity in Lima ................................................................................................. 45 Introducing Youth to Social Activism ................................................................ 46 5 The Formation of Makungu .............................................................................. 47 Potential for CEDET-Makungu collaborations .................................................. 50 Shifting Focus: The Workings of Makungu ............................................................ 50 The Membership Demographic ........................................................................ 51 Administration ................................................................................................... 52 Group Meetings ................................................................................................ 53 Community Work .............................................................................................. 54 The afro-Peruvian identity awards ............................................................. 54 The White Party ......................................................................................... 56 The Chocolatada ........................................................................................ 56 Other community events ............................................................................ 57 Collaborative work ..................................................................................... 57 Recruitment ............................................................................................................ 58 Perspectives on the Afro-Peruvian Movement ........................................................ 59 Chapter Summary ................................................................................................... 59 3 CONVERGING VISIONS: OUTLINING MAJOR OBSTACLES THAT HINDER SOCIAL JUSTICE ................................................................................................... 62 Invisibility ................................................................................................................ 62 Education ................................................................................................................ 68 Racism .................................................................................................................... 72 Everyday Racism .................................................................................................... 74 Lack of Identity ........................................................................................................ 79 Chapter Summary ................................................................................................... 85 4 ASSESSING THE INTER-GENERATIONAL RELATIONSHIP ............................... 87 Current Patterns ..................................................................................................... 87 Reflections on Working Together ............................................................................ 89 Veteran Concerns ................................................................................................... 91 Considering the Potential for a Better Relationship ................................................ 96 Joint Projects .................................................................................................... 97 Defining Generational Roles ............................................................................. 98 Addressing Power Imbalances ......................................................................... 98 Developing an Inter-generational Socio-political Vision .................................. 100 Inhibiting Factors to Inter-Generational Relationship Building .............................. 101 Excluding the Older Generation ..................................................................... 101 Overcoming the Power Paradox ..................................................................... 103 Chapter Summary ................................................................................................. 104 5 CONCLUSION ...................................................................................................... 107 Key Findings of This Study ................................................................................... 107 Caveats and Limitations ........................................................................................ 109 Sample