Juan Gregorio Palechor

"[A] thought-provoking book that attempts to address the concerns of the researcher and subject when creating a biographical narrative. A welcome addition to the field of anthropology and the study of indigenous movement in Colombia."  - A. E. Leykam (Choice) "Anthropologist Myriam Jimeno’s presentation of the life history of Colombian Indigenous activist Juan Gregorio Palechor is an excellent contribution to our understanding of how narratives are constructed and publicly expressed.... Palechor’s life story, together with Jimeno’s anthropological analysis, provides a valuable contribution to our understandings of Indigenous organizing efforts. The activist perspective will provide probing insights to scholars, and the fluid text will work well for classroom adoption."  - Marc Becker (Hispanic American Historical Review) "Palechor’s life is compelling. Jimeno addresses its historical contexts, the difficulty of maintaining an ethnic identity, the complexities of writing a life history, and the literature on diversity and ethnic pluralism."  - Herbert Braun (Journal of American History) “This well-written work not only provides an approachable view of indigenous intellectuals in the Andes and in the Americas but also shows the trajectory and nature of indigenous organizations. … [T]his book represents an excellent resource for those interested in Andean and American indigenous experiences. For this reason, it will be an excellent addition to graduate and undergraduate courses in Latin American and Native American studies.” - Waskar T. Ari-Chachaki (Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute) "Palechor’s autobiography skillfully illustrates how social categories of race and class are lived in the Andes.... Jimeno’s accessible writing style combined with Palechor’s conversational narratives make this work well suited for undergraduate anthropology courses." - Teresa A. Velásquez (American Anthropologist)

• Foreword / Joanne Rappaport ixPreface xiiAcknowledgments xvIntroduction 1Part 1. Narrations, Life Stories, and Autobiographies For Those Who Come After 10The Anthropological Narrative as Dialogue 12Life Stories, Biographies, and Autobiographies 14Recovering the Subaltern Vision 17Reality, Experience, and Expression: The Authorship of Oral Histories 19Debates on Techniques in Life Stories 22Part 2. Juan Gregorio Palechor: Between the Community and the Nation Identity and Ethnic Re-Creation 28Ethnicity as Social Relation 35The Limits of Diversity and Ethnic Recognition 37Juan Gregorio Palechor: Between the Community and the Nation 44Cauca, the Guachicono Resguardo, and Indigenous Movements 54Identity and the Struggle for the Resguardo 60A Politics of Our Own and the Reinvention of Identity 65Part 3. Juan Gregorio Palechor: The Story of My Life Where I Come From: Five Generations of the Macizo Colombiano and Guachicono 76Recognizing the Way of the World and Observing the Weather 78Life on the Resguardo 80Our Nervousness about School and What We Were Taught 88The Harshness of Family Life and the Art of Agriculture 92When I Was Conscripted 96Learning New Things 102Public Life and Political Violence 104During the Violence, I Was Forced by Necessity to Work as a Tinterillo 110The Formation of Community Action Committees: The Liberal Revolutionary Movement and the National Front 119Religion, Money, and Politics 124Working with the MRL and the Political Parties 131The Management Class of the Catholic Religion 135Looking for an Organization: The Campesino Association and the Indigenous Organization 138My Work in the Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca (CRIC) 143The Struggles of CRIC and Indigenous Traditions 148Politiqueros and Their Empty Words 156Why an Organization of Indigenous People? 158Appendix: CRIC Documents 163Glossary 191Notes 195References 215Index 225