Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

Quechua Women's Embodied Memories of Political Violence in Peru (1980s-1992): The Female Body Communicates Memories

Gomez, Nancy Regina,

Abstract Details

2015, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, Communication Studies (Communication).
This dissertation examines the ways Quechua women communicate embodied memories of political violence from their experience during the conflict between state forces and Shining Path in Peru (1980s-1992). To answer this question, I ask three subsidiary research questions: How does the film, The Milk of Sorrow, illustrate Quechua women's embodied memories of political violence in Peru (1980s-1992)? How do contemporary Quechua women discuss their embodied memories of political violence from the conflict? How do Quechua women draw upon these embodied memories as they negotiate their contemporary lives in the hills outside of Lima? By performing a thematic analysis of the film, conducting two focus groups and a photovoice project, I analyze how Quechua women communicate embodied memories of political violence (1980s-1992). After analyzing participants' responses, I argue that the film enables the exploration of memories of political violence in Peru within the Quechua female body. To develop this argument, I draw on Marks's (2000) use of a theory of embodied visuality to examine the film-viewing process as "an exchange of two bodies" (the viewer and the film) in which the body and culture meet. Chapter 1 offers a synopsis of the film, emphasizing how it reflects the stories of Quechua women who experienced political violence. Chapter 2 provides a feminist explanation for the ways women enact embodied memories in post-conflict societies. Chapter 3 discusses the methods that I followed to answer the research questions and presents the thematic analysis that examines how the film illustrates Quechua women's memories of the conflict. In other words, in chapter 3, I explain the ways I use the film as a starting point for the discussion to explore women's embodied memories of the conflict. Chapter 4 illustrates how Quechua women in focus groups discuss their embodied memories of terrorism. Chapter 5 discusses the results of the photovoice project, which describe how Quechua women draw upon these embodied memories in the hills outside of Lima. Finally, Chapter 6 offers a more detailed connection between Chapters 4 and 5, and, therefore, the film and participants’ embodied memories of the conflict in contemporary times. It also summarizes how this dissertation points to a methodological challenge about the ways researchers learn how others' memories are embodied in their encounters in everyday practices.
Roger Aden, Ph.D. (Committee Chair)
343 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Gomez, , N. R. (2015). Quechua Women's Embodied Memories of Political Violence in Peru (1980s-1992): The Female Body Communicates Memories [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1437645477

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Gomez, , Nancy. Quechua Women's Embodied Memories of Political Violence in Peru (1980s-1992): The Female Body Communicates Memories. 2015. Ohio University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1437645477.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Gomez, , Nancy. "Quechua Women's Embodied Memories of Political Violence in Peru (1980s-1992): The Female Body Communicates Memories." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio University, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1437645477

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)