José Carlos Mariátegui - El problema del índio

LETRAS de Hispanoamérica

  • Authors: Julio Ortega, Gustavo Pellón, Martín Gaspar

  • Publisher: Vista Higher Learning, Boston, Massachusetts

  • Work: Nueva antología de la literatura de las Américas

Cover Design Elements

  • The cover features various historical and artistic items:

    • Title page of Xeres' account of the conquest of Peru (1535)

    • Linocut by Rachael Romero of Pablo Neruda (1976)

    • Handwritten letter by José Martí

    • Image of Gabriela Mistral on Chilean 5000 peso banknote (2009)

    • Gabriel García Márquez at University of Guadalajara (2004)

    • Map of the Americas from Spanish atlas by Joan Martines (1587)

    • Embossed name of Jorge Luis Borges

    • Example of Mayan writing

Publication Details

  • Publisher: José A. Blanco

  • President: Janet Dracksdorf

  • Editorial Development: María Cinta Aparisi, Deborah Coffey, María Victoria Echeverri, Iñigo Javaloyes

  • Project Management: María Rosa Alcaraz, Natalia González, Sharon Inglis

  • Design: Marta Kimball (Director), Susan Prentiss (Senior Designer)

  • Copyright: 2014 by Vista Higher Learning, Inc.

  • ISBN: 978-1-61857-173-1

  • Library of Congress Control Number: 2013930279

José Carlos Mariátegui (1894-1930)

Key Quote

  • "Todo crítico, todo testigo, cumple consciente o inconscientemente, una misión."

Background

  • Early Life: Born in Moquegua, Peru, to a humble family.

  • At age 8, a leg accident confined him to home; he focused on reading.

  • Worked at La Prensa since 1909, eventually publishing articles.

  • Developed interest in social thought, leading to political commitment with the founding of the Partido Comunista Peruano.

Career Summary

  • Launched La Razón in 1919 to support university reform and workers' rights.

  • Critiques of the government led to the paper's closure.

  • Chose exile in Europe over imprisonment; this trip was pivotal for developing his Marxist ideology.

  • Upon returning to Peru, he founded Amauta in 1926 and published "Siete ensayos de interpretación de la realidad peruana" (1928).

Major Works

  1. Siete ensayos de interpretación de la realidad peruana (1928)

  2. La escena contemporánea (1925)

  3. Otros ensayos en múltiples temáticas (1923-1930)

  4. Los temas: educación, política, literatura

Theoretical Contributions

  • Explored social conditions in Peru through a socialist analytical lens.

  • Addressed the issues of indigenous populations, land ownership, and national identity.

El Problema del Indio

Main Thesis

  • The indigenous problem is primarily an economic-social issue, rooted in land ownership rather than administrative or cultural factors.

Critique of Current Theories

  • Criticizes theories that ignore economic conditions and emphasizes socialist critique revealing true causes.

  • Addresses feudalism embodied in 'gamonalismo' as a barrier to indigenous rights and laws.

Historical Context

  • Notes that administrative laws have failed to improve indigenous conditions due to the deep-rooted dominance of gamonales (landlords).

  • Opposes legislation that treats the indigenous issue solely as a cultural or moral dilemma without addressing economic realities.

Education Perspective

  • Argues that education cannot thrive under feudal conditions; demands systemic change for effective educational reform.

  • Highlights the inadequacies of internat educational proposals under current social contexts.

Conclusion of Analysis

  • Mariátegui's work presents the indigenous situation as a complex interplay between historical injustices and political resistance.

  • His call for a new perspective on land reform emphasizes the necessity for a Marxist approach to understanding indigenous rights and strategies.

Discussion Questions

  1. Characterize the role of gamonales in the maintenance of indigenous oppression.

  2. Evaluate Mariátegui's rejection of an ethnic view of the indigenous issue, citing examples.

  3. Interpret Mariátegui's views on the efficacy of religion in resolving indigenous issues.

  4. Analyze the effects of the Independence Revolution on indigenous populations according to Mariátegui.

  5. Discuss Mariátegui's assertion that Spanish legislation was less detrimental than that of the Republic regarding indigenous rights.

  6. Summarize Mariátegui's central thesis in "El problema del indio" in your own words.