Assistant Professor of Hispanic Studies Jack Martinez-Arias recently published an article titled "Interpretations of Christianism in the Andean Oral Tradition: Arguedas, Condori Mamani, and the Inkarrí Myth" in the peer-reviewed journal Revista de Crítica Literaria Latinoamerican. The article explores the intricate relationship between Christianity and Andean Indigenous cultures through their oral traditions.
Rather than viewing Christianity as a simple influence on the region, Martinez-Arias analyzes how indigenous people interpret and transform various biblical passages, shedding light on the complex interplay between religion and culture in the Andes.
Employing close reading, discourse analysis, and critical analysis of diverse versions of the "Inkarry," "Gregorio Condori Mamani," and "The Dream of the Pongo" narrations collected in the 1960s and 1970s, Martinez-Arias uncovers how the transformation of the figure of Christ and biblical passages from those indigenous perspectives reveal discontent, disagreement, resistance, resentment, and denunciations towards a social environment of historical oppression, violence, and discrimination.
