The struggle for water in Peru : comedy and tragedy in the Andean commons

Author(s)
    • Trawick, Paul B.
Bibliographic Information

The struggle for water in Peru : comedy and tragedy in the Andean commons

Paul B. Trawick

Stanford University Press, c2003

  • : cloth
  • : pbk

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Includes bibliographical references (p. [327]-340) and index

HTTP:URL=http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/fy033/2002009779.html Information=Table of contents

Description and Table of Contents

Description

This ecological history of peasant society in the Peruvian Andes focuses on the politics of irrigation and water management in three villages whose terraces and canal systems date back to Inca times. Set in a remote valley, the book tells a story of domination and resulting social decline, showing how basic changes in the use of land, water, and labor have been pivotal in transforming the indigenous way of life. The author carries out a comparison of contemporary practices in communities that vary systematically along certain dimensions. He analyzes the communities' similarities and differences in hydraulic organization, landscaping, water use, and other variables. Strikingly diverse patterns appear in local practice, which prove to be the key to unraveling the area's history. The book concludes by describing the recent intensification of a water conflict. This struggle between peasants and former landlords ultimately led villagers to rise up against the national government. The story culminates in the violent intrusion of the revolutionary group known as Shining Path.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Reading Social History in a Cultural Landscape 1 1. The Setting: A Valley on the Edge of "The Abyss" 17 2. Early History: Story of a Hole on the Map 39 3. Huaynacotas: Irrigation and Ethnicity in an Indigenous Community 71 4. Pampamarca: Hierarchy and Inequity in a Colonized Community 1no 5. Cotahuasi: Domination and Social Decline in a Hacienda District 150 6. A Failure of Good Intentions: The Military's Attempt at Land Reform 199 7. Failure Again: Water Reform, Drought, and the Legacy of Class Conflict 228 8. Water into Blood: Irrigation Improvement, Corruption, and the Coming of the Shining Path 273 Conclusion: The Story of Irrigation in the Andes-"Comedy" and Tragedy in the Commons 291

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