Gender and the Boundaries of Dress in Contemporary Peru

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Anthropology
Cover of the book Gender and the Boundaries of Dress in Contemporary Peru by Blenda Femenías, University of Texas Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Blenda Femenías ISBN: 9780292782044
Publisher: University of Texas Press Publication: January 1, 2010
Imprint: University of Texas Press Language: English
Author: Blenda Femenías
ISBN: 9780292782044
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Publication: January 1, 2010
Imprint: University of Texas Press
Language: English
Set in Arequipa during Peru's recent years of crisis, this ethnography reveals how dress creates gendered bodies. It explores why people wear clothes, why people make art, and why those things matter in a war-torn land. Blenda Femenías argues that women's clothes are key symbols of gender identity and resistance to racism.Moving between metropolitan Arequipa and rural Caylloma Province, the central characters are the Quechua- and Spanish-speaking maize farmers and alpaca herders of the Colca Valley. Their identification as Indians, whites, and mestizos emerges through locally produced garments called bordados. Because the artists who create these beautiful objects are also producers who carve an economic foothold, family workshops are vital in a nation where jobs are as scarce as peace. But ambiguity permeates all practices shaping bordados' significance. Femenías traces contemporary political and ritual applications, not only Caylloma's long-standing and violent ethnic conflicts, to the historical importance of cloth since Inca times.This is the only book about expressive culture in an Andean nation that centers on gender. In this feminist contribution to ethnography, based on twenty years' experience with Peru, including two years of intensive fieldwork, Femenías reflects on the ways gender shapes relationships among subjects, research, and representation.
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Set in Arequipa during Peru's recent years of crisis, this ethnography reveals how dress creates gendered bodies. It explores why people wear clothes, why people make art, and why those things matter in a war-torn land. Blenda Femenías argues that women's clothes are key symbols of gender identity and resistance to racism.Moving between metropolitan Arequipa and rural Caylloma Province, the central characters are the Quechua- and Spanish-speaking maize farmers and alpaca herders of the Colca Valley. Their identification as Indians, whites, and mestizos emerges through locally produced garments called bordados. Because the artists who create these beautiful objects are also producers who carve an economic foothold, family workshops are vital in a nation where jobs are as scarce as peace. But ambiguity permeates all practices shaping bordados' significance. Femenías traces contemporary political and ritual applications, not only Caylloma's long-standing and violent ethnic conflicts, to the historical importance of cloth since Inca times.This is the only book about expressive culture in an Andean nation that centers on gender. In this feminist contribution to ethnography, based on twenty years' experience with Peru, including two years of intensive fieldwork, Femenías reflects on the ways gender shapes relationships among subjects, research, and representation.

More books from University of Texas Press

Cover of the book Interpreters with Lewis and Clark by Blenda Femenías
Cover of the book Musical Ritual in Mexico City by Blenda Femenías
Cover of the book The Viennese Revolution of 1848 by Blenda Femenías
Cover of the book My Stone of Hope by Blenda Femenías
Cover of the book Protestantism in Guatemala by Blenda Femenías
Cover of the book Texas Ranger N. O. Reynolds, the Intrepid by Blenda Femenías
Cover of the book The Mississippi Kite by Blenda Femenías
Cover of the book The Feminization of Quest-Romance by Blenda Femenías
Cover of the book Finish Forty and Home by Blenda Femenías
Cover of the book The Decapitated Chicken and Other Stories by Blenda Femenías
Cover of the book Telling Stories, Writing Songs by Blenda Femenías
Cover of the book Ruben Dario Centennial Studies by Blenda Femenías
Cover of the book The Jaguar Within by Blenda Femenías
Cover of the book The White Shaman Mural by Blenda Femenías
Cover of the book Cattle in the Backlands by Blenda Femenías
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy