E. B. Zoomers

Ton Salman

The central Andes--Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador--are undergoing rapid change. Economic integration within and beyond the Andes, neoliberal and adjustment policies, new communication technologies, indigenous political emancipation, and migration are among the factors that are transforming livelihoods, cultures, and identities of the Andean countries. These changes have triggered a debate on the dynamics and the permanence of an "Andean way of life." Analyzing the dynamics of "Andean-ness" in relation to policy reform and globalization, this book addresses new forms of cultural encounter, the validity of tradition in the midst of rapid change, and the alleged dissociation of identities and cultures from their territories. Focusing on the central Andes, it becomes clear that inherited views about what it means to be Andean are losing ground.

Shifting Margins of a Marginal World

Imaging the Andes

Salvador Martí i Puig

Gemma van der Haar

Willem Assies died in 2010 at the age of 55. The various stages of his career as a political anthropologist of Latin American illustrate how astute a researcher he was. He had a keen eye for the contradictions he observed during his fieldwork but also enjoyed theoretical debate. A distrust of power led him not only to attempt to understand "people without voice" but to work alongside them so they could discover and find their own voice. Willem Assies explored the messy, often untidy daily lives of people, with their inconsistencies, irrationalities, and passions, but also with their hopes, sense of beauty, solidarity, and quest for dignity. This collection brings together some of Willem Assies's best, most fascinating, and still highly relevant writings.

Ton Salman

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