Dancing the memory of place: the choreography of identity in the Peruvian Andes - Swinburne Research Bank: Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia

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Title: Dancing the memory of place: the choreography of identity in the Peruvian Andes
Author(s): Callaghan, Michaela
Abstract: This paper examines the non-verbal expression of dance as a site of memory and identity construction. I contend that the 'traditional' dance and fiestas of the Andes function as a form of 'somatic memory', through which the collective narrative of a community is remembered, reinforced and recreated. Exploring the case study of Carnavales Rurales in the Andean city of Ayacucho in 2010, this paper examines how those forced to leave their homelands due to the years of political violence now dance to embody 'place' and remember 'the ancestors'. Dancing in rural carnival is linked with notions of belonging, of ancestry, cultural inheritance, family connection, regional pride and identity. It is also a time when those perceived as, or who self identify as, 'campesinos' (which literally translates as peasant, but is used to refer to people from rural Andean communities most of whom are indigenous Quechua speakers) have the opportunity to redress some of the inequalities and racism experienced in quotidian life. Rural migrants dance to maintain and 'defend' a uniquely campesino identity within the urban setting. This paper is situated in the field of Memory Studies. It combines the areas of cultural memory with aspects of dance anthropology.
Publication Type: Conference paper
Research Centre: Swinburne University of Technology
Source: Paper presented at the Historical Justice and Memory Conference, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 14-17 February 2012
Publication Year: 2012
Keyword(s): Andes; Carnavales Rurales; Collective narrative; Cultural memory; Dance anthropology; Identity constructions; Indigenous cultures; Memory; Peruvian traditional dance; Political violence; Quechua peoples; Sites of violence; Somatic memory
Publisher: The Swinburne Institute for Social Research, Swinburne University of Technology
Publisher URL: http://www.historicaljusticeandmemoryconference.net/