Crafting Memories in the Mantaro Valley of Peru - Performance and Visual Representation in Craftswomen's Souvenir Production
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Date
2009-09
Authors
Totten, Kelley D., 1976-
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
The Mantaro Valley of Peru is known for its distinctive Andean villages whose
residents specialize in a traditional craft that defines the community's identity: gourd
carvers call Cochas Grande home; tapestry weavers reside in Hualhuas; and silversmiths
forge traditional designs in San Jeronimo. As tourism to the region develops, travelers
purchase these handicrafts as souvenirs to represent and remember a visit to Peru. John
Urry suggests that tourists "gaze" on locals, causing them to reconstruct themselves in terms of the tourists' ideas of authenticity. Based on my fieldwork in the Mantaro Valley, I
complicate Urry's argument by presenting a multifaceted approach analyzing the complex
ways in which these women communicate their individual, familial, regional and national
identities through the objects they create. I incorporate visual rhetoric and material behavior
theories to suggest alternative ways-of-looking within tourism interactions that consider the
relationships between the craftswomen, intermediaries and tourists.
Description
xiv, 98 p. : ill. (some col.) A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number.
Keywords
Handicraft -- Peru -- Mantaro River Valley