This document summarizes the impacts of Westernization on the Quechua people in Peru across several areas of their society and culture. It discusses how the Quechua socio-political structure, social subsistence methods, religious beliefs, education system, language, and social relationships have been influenced by assimilation to Western models and the insertion into nation-state systems. It also describes how the Quechua people have been framed both negatively and positively in the media.

1. Their Relationship with the
Western World
Impacts of Westernization and Media
Framing on the Quechua People
by Alonso Abugattas

2. Westernization

3. Etic Approach
• What westernization does with the Quechua
according to their…
– Socio-political structure?
– Social subsistence methods?
– Religious beliefs?
– Education system?
• Language?
– Social relationships? (kinship, gender…).

4. Effects in Quechua Socio-Political
Structure
• Assimilation of Western
model of political
administration.
– Assignation of communal
mayors.
• Ayllu representative
(imitiating curaca role).
– Insertion in regional
governments.

5. Effects in Social Subsistence Methods
• Traditional:
– Self subsistence economical production (Kalman, 1994).
• Kinship-based.
– Families.
• Use of traditional techniques.
– Pastoralism
– Horticulture
– Reciprocity:
• Exchange of goods (Parker,1997)
• Flowed between generalized and balanced.
• Also kinship based
– Generalized: Intrafamiliar.
– Balanced: Interfamiliar.
• Changes:
– Assimilation of Western economic models:
• Use of nation-state currency.
• Exportation of goods product of pastoralism and horticulture.
– Insertion in nation-state capitalist market.

6. Effects in Quechua’s Religious Beliefs
• Given by historical reasons:
– Repression of Andean beliefs by Spaniards.
– Migration from villages to cities (Cumbira University, 2007).
– Decentralization of religion.
• Pre-Columbian-Catholic syncretism (Advameg, 2007).
– Assimilation of Catholic beliefs and moral principles.
• Hanan Pacha/Ukhu Pacha (Heaven and Hell).
• Apu/Catholic saint syncretism.
– Syncretism of traditional forms of celebration with and Catholic
holidays.
• Carnavales (patronal festivals).
• Takanakuy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKjSyZhIIiw (Morton, 2012).
– Preservation of Andean beliefs from pre-Columbian eras.
• Dualism.
• Division of the World (Pachas).
• Ceremonies.

8. Effects in Education
• Key component: Quechua Language.
– Loss of Quechua-speaking people (Safley, 2011).
• Only 19, 25 and 23% of total population speak Quechua
in Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia respectively (Cerron-
Palomino, 1987).
– Quechua-Spanish cross-linguistic influence
(Manley, 2012).
• Creation of Spanish jargon by insertion of Quechua
words.
– Pucho, Chomba, Concho.

9. Effects in Education
• Assimilation of Western models of formal
education.
– Dependency on public schools.
– Aim towards seeking superior education in public
universities in cities.
• Centralization of education.
– Enculturation of Spanish by formal educational
system.
• Quechua language enculturation by families.

10. Effects in Social Relationships
• Gender
– Workforce balance.
• Migration due to economical and educational centralization.
– Decrease in feminine subordination
• Primary authoritarian figure for children in family.
• Kinship
– Family
• Predominance of patrilineal descent.
• Incorporation of surname of women in their offspring.
– Marriage, Sex, Love
• Acculturation of Western ideals of romantic love.
• Dependence on religious ideals.
• “Madonna-whore” complex incorporation.

11. Media Framing

12. • Pejorative framing of Quechua people.
– Clash of interests with transnational corporations.
• Seemed as “retrograde” people.
• “Go against the progress of the nation state”
– Conga case in Cajamarca, Peru.
• Conflictive.
– Depicted as submissive, compliant people.
• Due to compliance of Inca forefathers to Spaniard control.
• Beneficial framing from tourist media.
(Erkenbrack, 2011).
– “People rich in culture”.
– “Hospitable people”.
– Rather seen as victims of nation-state conflicts than
perpetrators.
• Peruvian Civil War 1980’s.

13. References
• Jermyn, Leslie
Peru
Milwaukee, Wisc.: Gareth Stevens, 1998.
• Prayer. SIM
Go Serve. 2013
http://www.sim.org/index.php/content/quechua (accessed
March 9, 2013).
• Kalman, Bobbie
Peru: The People and Culture
New York: Crabtree Publishing Company, 1994.
• Parker, Edward.
Peru
Austin, Tex.: Raintree Steck-Vaughn, 1997.

14. References
• Safley, Mike
«The Quechua People: An Abandoned Race.» Northwest
Alpacas. 2011
http://www.alpacas.com/AlpacaLibrary/QuechuaAbandonedRac
e.as px (accessed March 11, 2013).
• Advameg, Inc.
Countries and Their Cultures: Quechua. February 4, 2007.
http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Norway-to-
Russia/Quechua.html (accessed March 11, 2013).
• Cumbria University
The Religion of the Quechua. January 23, 2013.
http://www.philtar.ac.uk/encyclopedia/latam/quech.html
(accessed March 11, 2013).
• . Performed by Thomas Morton
Fist Fighting on Christmas: A Peruvian Tradition.
Directed by Vice.2012.

15. References
• Cerrón-Palomino, Rodolfo
(1987) Lingüística Quechua
Cuzco, Peru: Centro Bartolomé de las Casas.
• Manley, Marilyn S
Cross-Linguistic Influence of the Cuzco Quechua Epistemic
System on Andean Spanish
Electronic essay, Rowan: Rowan University,
2012.
• Erkenbrack, Elizabeth
The Mobilization of Quechua as an Ethnocommodity
Electronic essay, Philadelphia: University of
Pennsylvania, 2011.