Religious and self-generated Quechua literacy practices in the Peruvian Andes

• Autores: María Teresa de la Piedra
• Localización: International journal of bilingual education and bilingualism, ISSN 1367-0050, Vol. 13, Nº. 1, 2010, págs. 99-113
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • This article discusses Quechua speakers' religious literacy practices in the native language in a rural community located in the department of Cuzco (Peru). I argue that in a situation where the school did not play the role of developing or maintaining the written vernacular, a group of community members found specific situations where they felt comfortable writing in their mother tongue. This study contributes to the discussion of native language literacy and Quechua language maintenance by examining adult and child Quechua literacy practices in the religious realm. Additionally, I present the case of Marcos, as an example of a self-generated literacy practice of authoring huaynos (songs in Quechua), as a result of the author's participation in a Protestant church. Findings show that literacy skills developed in the religious domain can be transferred across contexts. However, these literacy practices were endangered by macro forces of globalization.