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The Americas 57.3 (2001) 434-436



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Shining and Other Paths: War and Society in Peru, 1980-1995. Edited by Steve J. Stern. Durham: Duke University, 1998. Pp. xiv, 534. Photographs. Maps. Bibliography. Index. $64.95 cloth; $21.95 paper.

This book emerged from an international conference held in April 1995 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It is composed of five sections, each preceded by a résumé of the articles contained in it and accompanied by penetrating observations from the editor, situating the context and lending unity to the work as a whole.

Broadly speaking, this book attempts to trace the contradictory, and frequently counter-posed, currents of sensibility aroused by the phenomenon of political violence in Peruvian society. Its assessment of collective and individual subjectivity, combining as it does both a cultural and historical approach to the problem, stands apart from other work published until now and, therefore, constitutes a valuable contribution towards understanding the context surrounding the emergence, growth and defeat of Sendero Luminoso (the Shining Path).

In the first part, "Within and Against History: Conceptualizing Roots," certain historical scenarios are brought into relief that shed light on the origins of Sendero Luminoso. The ideological rigidity and personality cult surrounding the intellectuals of this movement are placed in their context as derivatives of a racist academic discourse that was in use between 1930 and 1970 (Marisol de la Cadena). Another moment that stands out is the split between the new left and Abimael Guzmán's party in the 1970s: this meant that the latter, their strength underestimated by other forces, became isolated, finding, in the process, a space within which they were able to reinforce their Maoist dogma (Iván Hinojosa). Lastly, we are shown how the failure of the agrarian reform applied in Andahuaylas at the beginning of the 1970s convinced some of those who had become frustrated in their attempts to implement it [End Page 434] to view the armed struggle road offered by the Path in a positive light (Florencia Mallon).

The second part, "The Conquest that Failed: The War for the Center-South," concerns itself with the conjuncture of internal war pushed by Sendero Luminoso in the 1980s. An attempt is made to comprehend the contradictory pictures the peasantry had of the Shining Path and, in particular, how their image changed from that of a paternalist, charitable grouping to that of a tyrannical organization similar to those run by the misti (traditional Andean boss) (Carlos Iván Degregori). Attention is focused, too, on the clash between the class-based, revolutionary values of the Senderistas and the bonds of affection, culture and religion that are so deeply rooted in Andean families (Ponciano del Pino). An evaluation of the military strategies applied in the central sierra by the Senderistas demonstrates that they failed because they were perceived as acts of subjection and humiliation by those affected (Nelson Manrique). Finally, on the subject of the active role played by the peasant rondas in bringing about the defeat of the Shining Path, one is especially struck by how the military peasant patrols came to see themselves as citizen-warriors (Orin Starn).

The third section, "Obliterating Third Paths: The Battles of Lima and Puno," dwells upon the limits reached by those political experiences that, due to their differences with both the projects of Sendero and the State, sought to institutionalize a Third Path. In the case of Lima, weakness when it came to opposing the violence of the Senderistas was reflected in the ambivalent attitudes of the left-wing parties and the grass-roots committees in the shantytown of Villa El Salvador (Jo-Marie Burt). Likewise, in Puno, the ideological and political inconsistency of the Mariateguista Unified Party and of the peasant federations explains their inability to resist the Path's advance (José Luis Rénique).

The fourth section, "Women as Citizen-Subjects: Exploring the Gender War," sets out, in one contribution, to investigate the significant political role played both by women who were either for or against the Senderista project (Isabel Coral...

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