Description
Book SynopsisFrom 1952 to 1962, anthropologists funded by Cornell University sought to apply anthropological knowledge to improving life in Vicos, a village of about 1,800 people in the Peruvian Andes. This collection evaluates the methods and results of the famous, and even infamous, Vicos Project.
Trade ReviewConsidered a groundbreaking example of applied anthropology, the Cornell-Peru Project (CPP, 1952-62) is now mostly forgotten. Editors Greaves (emer., Bucknell Univ.), Bolton (Pomona College), and Zapata (The Mountain Institute) have assembled a volume that is part detailed history by surviving members of the project and part evaluation of it by anthropologists who were not part of it. Chapters by researchers describing similar projects and by anthropologists discussing the current state of Vicos round out the book. No consensus emerges as to the CPP's success or failure, but each contribution provides an important perspective on the project, the role of applied anthropology then and now, and the changes in Peruvian society since the 1950s. Graduate students and researchers interested in the relationship between anthropology and development, or the history of the discipline in Latin America, will find the book useful. Undergraduates will find the specificity of the contributions daunting, but those by Jason Pribilsky, Bolton, and Zapata discussing, respectively, anthropology in the era of Cold War politics, the continued relevance of applied anthropology, and a specific case of a cultural heritage program provide treatments accessible to advanced undergraduates. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students, researchers, faculty. * CHOICE *
Vicos and Beyond is a thoughtfully put-together compilation on the contentious community development project run by Cornell in highland Peru in the mid-twentieth century. . . .[The book] challenge[s] methodological and theoretical paradigms on development work and make the collected works reviewed here invaluable to anthropologists struggling through the labyrinthine intricacies of applied collaborations today. . . .Vicos and Beyond is a keen exploration of the historiography of Andean applied anthropology that has brought novel and much-needed material from Peruvianists to the discipline-wide discussion on changes in applied research. It is thus fitting that the concluding portion of the volume points to a future in collaborative applied work where we include the stories, interpretations, and perceptions of the subjects who participate in research projects. * Collaborative Anthropologies *
Full of pros, cons, and new informative details, these insiders' essays offer fresh perspectives on Cornell's audacious social experiment. -- Dwight B. Heath, Brown University
Table of ContentsChapter 1 Introduction Part 2 Part I. Remembering the Vicos Project Chapter 3 Chapter 1. Who Was That Gringo? Holmberg before Vicos Chapter 4 Chapter 2. Early Years of the Vicos Project from the Perspective of a Sympathetic Participant-Observer Chapter 5 Chapter 3. Lessons from Vicos Chapter 6 Chapter 4. Anthropological Journeys: Vicos and the Callejon de Huaylas 1948-2006 Part 7 Part II. Evaluating the Vicos Project Chapter 8 Chapter 5. Anthropological Hope and Social Reality: Cornell's Vicos Project Re-examined Chapter 9 Chapter 6. Modernizing Peru: Negotiating Indigenismo, Science, and the "Indian Problem" in the Cornell-Peru Project Chapter 10 Chapter 7. Reflections on Vicos: Anthropology, the Cold War, and the Idea of Peasant Conservatism Chapter 11 Chapter 8. Vicos as a Model: A Retrospective Part 12 Part III. Alternatives to the Vicos Project Chapter 13 Chapter 9. Globalizing Andean Society: Migration and Change in Peru's Peasant Communities Chapter 14 Chapter 10. Chijnaya: The Birth and Evolution of an Andean Community; Memories and Reflections of an Applied Anthropologist Chapter 15 Chapter 11. The Case of Kuyo Chico Part 16 Part IV. Vicos Today Chapter 17 Cornell Returns to Vicos, 2005 Chapter 18 Remembering Vicos: Local Memories and Voices Chapter 19 Conclusion Chapter 20 About the Authors Chapter 21 Index
