Ethnicity and the Persistence of Inequality The Case of Peru

by Thorp, Rosemary; Paredes, Maritza

• ISBN13: 9780230280007
• ISBN10: 0230280005
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-12-15
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

Understanding why inequality is so great and has persevered for centuries in a number of Latin American countries requires tools that go beyond economics. Inequality between indigenous groups and others has been particularly harsh and persistent. This book applies a truly interdisciplinary approach to the specific case of Peru, seeking out the dynamics of the interactions between the society, the polity, the geography and the economy. Ethnic discrimination and prejudice emerge as central themes, explored through people#x19;s own perceptions and life experiences. The book attempts to extend the boundaries of our understanding and contributes to the growing interest in ethnicity and conflict by developing and exploring the interactions between institutions and the inequalities between groups.

Author Biography

Rosemary Thorp is Emeritus Fellow at St Antony's College, University of Oxford, UK, and also Emeritus Reader of the University. She was Director of the Latin American Centre for three periods, and in 2003-4 Director of Queen Elizabeth House. She was Chair of Oxfam GB between 2001 and 2006. Among her principal works are Peru 1890-1977: Growth and Policy in an open Economy (with Geoffrey Bertram) and Progress, Poverty and Exclusion: An Economic History of Latin America in the 20th Century. Maritza Paredes is a political scientist working on the construction of the state in Bolivia, Chile and Peru. She is a member of St Antony's College, University of Oxford, UK. She has is recent years been actively involved in the work of the Centre for Research in Inequality, Human Security and Ethnicity (CRISE), Department of International Development (Queen Elizabeth House). She has published on issues of ethnic politics, natural resources and state formation in the Andes.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Appendix: Background on Peru
The Complexity and Salience of Ethnic Identity in Peru
Appendix: The Methodology of the CRISE Perception Survey: The Questionnaire and the Sample; D.Sulmont
Measuring Group Inequalities; A.Figueroa, M.Paredes & R.Thorp
Persistent Inequalities in Education; A.Figueroa, M.Paredes & R.Thorp
The Historical Embedding of Group Inequalities: From the Colony to the War with Chile; C.Contreras, M.Paredes & R.Thorp
The Embedding of Regional Inequality and the Consequences for Group Inequalities: the 1890s to the 1960s; C.Contreras, M.Paredes & R.Thorp
The Evolving Crisis and Consequences for Group Inequality, 1968-90
The Fujimori Years: the Peak of Political and Economic Exclusion
Conclusion