The Intellectual Elites And The Rise Of Peruvian Indigenous Movement,1895-1930

Intellectual elites are groups with profound knowledge and a strong sense of social responsibility,who can promote social progress and undertake the important task of “protecting the nation”.Among Latin American countries,Peruvian intellectual elites played an important role in rescuing the nation from crisis and exploring the path of cultural development.From the independence,Peru was marked with a colonial brand: the political and economic power of the country was monopolized by a a minority of creoles,who lived in the western coastal areas and embraced western culture,while the indigenous people,who made up the vast majority of the population,were dominated by the creoles.They engaged in traditional farming and animal husbandry in inland mountainous areas and developed indigenous culture.The dual social and cultural structure was embedded in Peru and affected the healthy functioning of the country.In the late 1870 s,the Nitrate War unveiled the curtain of Peru’s deformed society.Different interest groups and ethnic groups were involved in the war,and the society became fragmented.The fiasco of the war caused intellectual elites to reflect on the ethnic divisions and a great debate between conservatives and radicals led to the emergence of indigenismo.González Prada was the earliest proponent of Peruvian indigenismo,whose core idea was to draw attention to indigenous people and oppose the neglect and exploitation of them by the ruling class.After the Nitrate War,the“core countries” were in the midst of the second industrial revolution.The signing of the Grace Contract in 1889 and the return of the civil party to power in 1895 gave Peru a favorable domestic and foreign environment,which quickly made it a place for foreign capital investment and a supplier of industrial raw materials.In the early 20 th century,Peru’s modernization process accelerated.Land annexation and trap-filled recruitment systems in rural areas exacerbated the poverty and marginalization of indigenous people.The intellectual elites in the coastal areas put indigenismo into practice,launching the indigenous movement.The indigenous movement was a social and cultural movement that aimed at defending the rights of indigenous people and promoting indigenous culture.It experienced the development process from the coast to the interior and finally formed a national scale.In 1909,the Pro-Indigenous Association was formally founded in Lima.The members of the association built a network of communication to connect indigenistas across the country.They learned about the plight of indigenous people and used the power of public opinion to exert pressure on official authorities.With the development of the Pro-Indigenous Association,the intellectual elites in the interior regions gradually awakened,and they launched indigenous movements in many fields,such as anthropology,archaeology,education,art,press and publication.In the 1920 s,the intellectual elites led by José Carlos Mariátegui formed a joint force,and its analysis of indigenous problem rose to a theoretical level.At the same time,president Leguía,responded to the concerns of the intellectual elites,established the indigenismo as the official ideology,and created specialized agencies to deal with indigenous affairs.Driven by the intellectual elites and supported by the official sectors,the indigenous movement developed into a nationwide social and cultural movement.In the development of the Peruvian indigenous movement,intellectual elites played leading roles.Facing the ethnic conflicts and the social injustice in the period of modernization,intellectual elites defended the rights and interests of marginalized ethnic groups through practical actions from an overall perspective of national development.They promoted the adjustment of official policies in a moderate and gradual manner,which avoided intense social conflicts.The protection of the historical traditions,customs and culture of the indigenous people by intellectual elites promoted the spread of the indigenous culture,and shaped the national cultural identity of modern Peru.However,it should not be overlooked that the intellectual elites were not completely free from racism and the limitations of their own class.The vast indigenous population was not effectively mobilized,which limited the breadth and depth of the indigenous movement to a certain extent.