Magical Writing In Salasaca Literacy And Power In Highland Ecuador

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Synopsis

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.

Book details

Series:
Case Studies in Anthropology
Author:
Peter Wogan
ISBN:
9780429967665
Related ISBNs:
9780429499111, 9780813341521, 9780813341521, 9780813341514, 9780813341514, 9780429499111, 9780367316754, 9780367316754, 9780813341521, 9780813341521, 9780813341514, 9780813341514
Publisher:
Taylor and Francis
Pages:
N/A
Reading age:
Not specified
Includes images:
No
Date of addition:
2018-04-27
Usage restrictions:
Copyright
Copyright date:
1999
Copyright by:
N/A 
Adult content:
No
Language:
English
Categories:
Nonfiction, Philosophy