Magical Writing In Salasaca

Literacy And Power In Highland Ecuador

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By Peter Wogan

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$22.99

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  1. ebook $22.99
  2. Trade Paperback $36.00

This item is a preorder. Your payment method will be charged immediately, and the product is expected to ship on or around April 28, 2009. This date is subject to change due to shipping delays beyond our control.

This engaging case study of Salasaca, a village in highland Ecuador, examines indigenous beliefs about writing, such as Day of the Dead name lists, comparisons with weaving, and a witch who kills people listed in his book of names. Magical Writing in Salasaca demonstrates that these beliefs reflect extensive contact with birth certificates, baptism records, and other church and state documents. Wogan’s inquiry into the place of literacy in the Salasacas’ worldview provides a nuanced look at the power relations between elites and nonelite villagers, at the same time that it imparts an empathetic understanding of alternative ways of viewing ostensibly familiar aspects of the world. Magical Writing in Salasaca will appeal to anyone interested in anthropology, literacy, power, or Latin America.

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On Sale
Apr 28, 2009
Page Count
144 pages
Publisher
Avalon Publishing
ISBN-13
9780786730315

Peter Wogan

About the Author

Peter Wogan is assistant professor of anthropology at Willamette University .

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