Publication Date
Fall 2025
Abstract
Quechua is a socially minority language in Perú due to a complex sociopolitical history. With the increase of pride in indigeneity that has characterized recent decades, efforts to revitalize the language have gained increased attention, generating tension between the rural and urban and between peasants and elites. Differing conceptualizations of Quechua directly shape the strategies used for its revalorization; in this essay, I examine oral tradition and written Quechua as two interwoven facets in revitalizing the language. Through fieldwork and a series of interviews in the community of Huilloc, located outside of Ollantaytambo, Cuzco, along with interviews with members of the High Academy of the Quechua Language (AMLQ) in Cuzco, I argue that incorporating more indigenous peoples and academics in revitalization efforts will contribute more to the indigeneity movement than maintaining the purist and elitist positions that the Academy holds about Quechua.
Disciplines
Arts and Humanities | Social and Behavioral Sciences
Recommended Citation
Elliott, Claire, "La política de la lengua quechua: controversias, disputas y variaciones entre la Academia Mayor de la Lengua Quechua en Cusco y los comuneros de Huilloc en cuanto a las formas de preservación del idioma" (2025). Peru: Indigenous Peoples and Globalization. 5.
https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/per/5