Abstract

Davis contributes an account of the Mayan movement in Guatemala which has attempted to change the terms of recognition of a disadvantaged group in an unequal society. Davis shows how the minority Ladinos established their dominance by imposing various forms of political, economic, and religious control on the indigenous Mayan population. Many Mayans reacted to this domination by reaffirming their ethnicity, choosing to maintain highly traditional, religion-based community cultures, rather than “passing” for Ladinos and attempting to integrate. This reaffirmation of identity then led to various Mayan resistance movements that questioned dominant interpretations of Guatemalan history and society, and by 1990’s attracted international attention with the awarding of a Nobel Peace prize to one of their activists - Rigoberta Menchu. This had an important influence on debates surrounding the future of the country, contributing to the Peace Accord of 1996. It is also hopefully laying the foundation for a multi-ethnic, pluri-cultural and multi-lingual nation in Guatemala. However, there has been a strong backlash from ladinos and it is difficult to predict if the Accord will ever be effectively implemented. But there is no longer any way that Guatemala can avoid the issues raised by the Mayan movement and the Peace Accord – and Guatemala’s recent development and poverty strategies have been strongly influenced by the principles embodied in the accord. This illustrates the potential effectiveness of using social movements and democratic processes to foster debate in order to equalize culturally based inequities. It also shows that the process can be long and difficult.