Review by Choice Review
This anthology covers current indigenous movements in Columbia, Guatemala, and Brazil and looks at the phenomena of state violence and social movements within the context of current indigenous struggles for self-determination. The introduction states that "the challenge for the anthropology of social movements is to document indigenous activism more fully than other observers can," and calls for an engaged research. Unfortunately, with the exception of Victor Montejo's article on the multiple voices of the Mayan movements in Guatemala, this does not happen. Montejo writes with a clarity that only someone who is totally engaged can gain. Most of the articles, however, fail to explore the materialist roots of the cultural and political contexts of influences such as the US (cited three times in the index), the Catholic Church, and history itself. Apart from the annoying metalanguage, the book is enjoyable, e.g, Laura Graham's article on Yanomami leader Davi Kopenawa and the question, "how should an Indian speak?" Scholars involved in the Chicano movement should find the book, which has a good index, bibliography, and notes, especially instructive. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. R. Acu^D na California State University, Northridge
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
