Now Peru Is Mine: The Life and Times of a Campesino Activist

by Manuel Llamojha Mitma

Overview

Now Peru is Mine is the account of the life of Manuel Llamojha Mitma, one of Peru's most creative and inspiring indigenous political activists. His compelling life story covers nearly eight decades, providing a window into many key developments in Peru's tumultuous twentieth-century history and political mobilization in Cold War Latin America.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780822362180
Publisher:	Duke University Press
Publication date:	12/02/2016
Series:	Narrating Native Histories Series
Pages:	252
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.63(d)

About the Author

Manuel Llamojha Mitma (1921-2016) was an indigenous political activist who formerly served as the head of the Peruvian Peasant Confederation from 1962 to 1978.

Jaymie Patricia Heilman is Associate Professor of History and Classics at the University of Alberta and author of Before the Shining Path: Politics in Rural Ayacucho, 1895-1980.

Table of Contents

A Note on Place  ix
Acknowledgments  xi
Introduction  1
1. "I'm Going to Be President of the Republic": The Formation of an Activist, 1921-1948  19
2. "I Made the Hacendados Tremble": Defending Jhajhamarka Campesinos, 1948-1952  41
3. "Jail Was Like My Home": Fighting for Concepción, 1952-1961  65
4. For Justice, Land, and Liberty: National and International Leadership, 1961-1968  99
5. "Everything Was Division": Political Marginalization, 1968-1980  131
6. A Wound That Won't Heal: Political Violence, Displacement, and Loss, 1980-2000  153
Afterword. "You Have to Stand Firm": The Elderly Activist, 200-2015  175
Notes  189
Bibliography  217
Index  229

What People are Saying About This

The Allure of Labor: Workers, Race, and the Making of the Peruvian State - Paulo Drinot

"Now Peru Is Mine makes a brilliantly original contribution to the study of twentieth-century Peru. Illuminating Manuel Llamojha Mitma's compelling and tragic life as well as his contribution to peasant politics, it provides insight into Peruvian politics, the politics of the Cold War, and the Sino-Soviet split as well. This is a wonderful book."

The Peru Reader - Orin Starn

"A winning character with strong storytelling skills and a lifelong commitment to social justice, Manuel Llamojha Mitma takes us into the labyrinth of twentieth-century Peruvian history. And Jaymie Patricia Heilman contextualizes Llamojha's compelling story with great insight. Now Peru Is Mine is an exemplary collaboration as wondrous and lovingly fashioned as the little painted wood dioramas, the retablos, for which Llamojha’s native Ayacucho region has so long been renowned."

Editorial Reviews

By writing this important book, Heilman and Llamojha have provided general readers, college students, and specialists alike the chance to find both learning and inspiration in the life story of a contemporary Peruvian activist.

Ethnohistory - G. Antonio Espinoza

"Heilman has made a significant contribution to the literature by bringing Llamojha's story to a broad audience. . . . [T]he book works equally as well for general audiences or undergraduate classrooms as for specialists seeking thoughtful reflections on the political uses of identity. . . . Highly recommended. All levels/libraries."
 

Choice - M. Becker

"This book is a handsome contribution to scholarship on Indigenous activists, their historical context, and the activist intellectual role in the Andes. . . . [Now Peru Is Mine] is an excellent piece to teach Modern Latin America and other courses on Indigenous peoples’ history in the Americas."

Native American and Indigenous Studies - Waskar T. Ari-Chachaki

"We follow this gripping story of travail and turmoil through Llamojha’s simple, but heartfelt narrative, guided by Heilman’s skilled interviewing, as it unfolds on multiple fronts—local, regional and international. . . . Indeed a unique and worthy contribution that helps fill a large void in the historiography of the second half of the twentieth century."

The Americas - Peter Klarén

"We follow this gripping story of travail and turmoil through Llamojha’s simple, but heartfelt narrative, guided by Heilman’s skilled interviewing, as it unfolds on multiple fronts—local, regional and international. . . . Indeed a unique and worthy contribution that helps fill a large void in the historiography of the second half of the twentieth century."

The Americas - Peter Klarén

"A winning character with strong storytelling skills and a lifelong commitment to social justice, Manuel Llamojha Mitma takes us into the labyrinth of twentieth-century Peruvian history. And Jaymie Patricia Heilman contextualizes Llamojha's compelling story with great insight. Now Peru Is Mine is an exemplary collaboration as wondrous and lovingly fashioned as the little painted wood dioramas, the retablos, for which Llamojha’s native Ayacucho region has so long been renowned."

The Peru Reader - Orin Starn

"Now Peru Is Mine makes a brilliantly original contribution to the study of twentieth-century Peru. Illuminating Manuel Llamojha Mitma's compelling and tragic life as well as his contribution to peasant politics, it provides insight into Peruvian politics, the politics of the Cold War, and the Sino-Soviet split as well. This is a wonderful book."

The Allure of Labor: Workers, Race, and the Making of the Peruvian State - Paulo Drinot

"By writing this important book, Heilman and Llamojha have provided general readers, college students, and specialists alike the chance to find both learning and inspiration in the life story of a contemporary Peruvian activist."--G. Antonio Espinoza "Ethnohistory" (1/1/2018 12:00:00 AM)

"This book is a handsome contribution to scholarship on Indigenous activists, their historical context, and the activist intellectual role in the Andes. . . . [Now Peru Is Mine] is an excellent piece to teach Modern Latin America and other courses on Indigenous peoples' history in the Americas."--Waskar T. Ari-Chachaki "Native American and Indigenous Studies"

"Now Peru is Mine is a major academic, intellectual and editorial success. Every specialist and student of Latin America, the Andes and Peru will enjoy this book. This is an exemplary study of how a single life illustrates the complexities of a century."--Javier Puente "Journal of Latin American Studies" (6/21/2017 12:00:00 AM)

"Now Peru Is Mine succeeds in offering a highly accessible and instructive account for students of Latin America and Peru specialists. One hopes that many readers get to know Llamojha Mitma and that his life story might serve to inspire new scholarship and new struggles."--Joseph P. Feldman "Hispanic American Historical Review" (2/1/2018 12:00:00 AM)

"A highly accessible book that provides unique insights on Peruvian society and politics."--Dan Cozart "The Latin Americanist" (5/3/2018 12:00:00 AM)

"Heilman has made a significant contribution to the literature by bringing Llamojha's story to a broad audience. . . . [T]he book works equally as well for general audiences or undergraduate classrooms as for specialists seeking thoughtful reflections on the political uses of identity. . . . Highly recommended. All levels/libraries."
--M. Becker "Choice" (4/1/2017 12:00:00 AM)

"The book is well-written and illustrated with photographs, excerpts from Llamojha's writings, and maps of the area of his activity.... Now Peru is Mine is a useful tool for learning about Peru's politics and history over the last century."--William O. Deaver, Jr. "Journal of Global South Studies" (6/1/2017 12:00:00 AM)

"This is a moving and fascinating account of indigenous activism in a turbulent era that will be of great value to historians and political scientists seeking to understand the motives and sacrifices of those at the heart of their disciplines."--Eugene Carey "Latin American Review of Books" (8/1/2017 12:00:00 AM)

"We follow this gripping story of travail and turmoil through Llamojha's simple, but heartfelt narrative, guided by Heilman's skilled interviewing, as it unfolds on multiple fronts--local, regional and international. . . . Indeed a unique and worthy contribution that helps fill a large void in the historiography of the second half of the twentieth century."--Peter Klarén "The Americas" (7/1/2017 12:00:00 AM)

From the Publisher

"This is a moving and fascinating account of indigenous activism in a turbulent era that will be of great value to historians and political scientists seeking to understand the motives and sacrifices of those at the heart of their disciplines."

Latin American Review of Books - Eugene Carey

Now Peru Is Mine succeeds in offering a highly accessible and instructive account for students of Latin America and Peru specialists. One hopes that many readers get to know Llamojha Mitma and that his life story might serve to inspire new scholarship and new struggles.

Hispanic American Historical Review - Joseph P. Feldman

A highly accessible book that provides unique insights on Peruvian society and politics.

The Latin Americanist - Dan Cozart

"Now Peru is Mine is a major academic, intellectual and editorial success. Every specialist and student of Latin America, the Andes and Peru will enjoy this book. This is an exemplary study of how a single life illustrates the complexities of a century."

Journal of Latin American Studies - Javier Puente

"The book is well-written and illustrated with photographs, excerpts from Llamojha's writings, and maps of the area of his activity.... Now Peru is Mine is a useful tool for learning about Peru's politics and history over the last century."

Journal of Global South Studies - William O. Deaver