#huarcaya

[messoamerica]

Working on the constitution of gender, Judith Butler has argued that identity is stylistically performed, but according to internalized norms that constitute common sense and propriety, naturalizing dominance, and subordination (1990; 1993). “Gender is in no way a stable identity or locus of agency from which various acts proceed,” Butler maintains; “rather, it is an identity tenuously constituted in time–an identity instituted through a stylized repetitions of acts” (1988: 519, her italics). The gendered self, rather than being substantial or prior to its acts, is a performative accomplishment of iterative corporeal acts, governed by punitive and regulatory social conventions. Performativity, then, is not an act or event but a process, “the formation of the subject in process–but never one that is finished or complete” (Moore 2007: 118).  Ethnicity, like gender, is both performed and performative. Individuals and groups might present themselves as ethnic but do so according to expectations shaped by the daily enactments constituting the ethnic boundary. Such iterative acts do not have to be conscious to be effective, as Joane Nagel observes: “Performativity is a powerful mechanism of social construction and social control, all the more so because it tends to go unnoticed, be invisible and operates at the level of intuition. Performatives just seem to feel right or wrong. They are difficult to identify or think about because they are so ingrained, presumed and seemingly natural” (2010: 197, her italics).

Sergio Miguel Huarcaya (2015) “Performativity, Performance, and Indigenous Activism in Ecuador and the Andes.” Comparative Studies in Society and History 53(3).

[messoamerica]

Indigenous choreographies of protests have a special resonance because of their historical and cultural significance. The occupation of urban spaces during the levantamientos is akin to the "tomas de plaza," the indigenous occupation of provincial urban centers during fiestas. Until the 1970s, these plazas were considered blanco spaces in which the indígenas were unwelcome, other than for cleaning. In keeping with the bodily transgression of boundaries and norms enabled by a festive time, indígenas have occupied plazas since times immemorial. In addition, indigenous music and dance have remained recognizably distinct in spite of non-indigenous influences. In contrast to non-indigenous dances, which are performed by two partners, many indigenous dances in the Ecuadorian Andes are group performances that involve dozens of people. Such performances, according to Thomas Turino, create an actual sense of unity because "the subtle signs involved (detailed ways of moving, sonic attack, articulation, pitch coordination, rhythm) are not perceived as explicit propositions about identity but rather are the very experience of similarity, of identity, each participant responding to and coordinating with the sounds and movements of others" (2004: 18). Furthermore, indigenous dancing during festivities are tests of endurance--those who quit before dawn are criticized as weak in spirit and physical strength. Indígenas consider non-indigenous individuals to be weaker in this respect. Through performance, indígenas bring that spirit to their demonstrations.

Sergio Miguel Huarcaya (2015) “Performativity, Performance, and Indigenous Activism in Ecuador and the Andes.” Comparative Studies in Society and History 53(3).