War by other means at the extractive frontier: the violence of reconstruction in ‘post‐war’ Peru

Abstract

This article examines the meeting of local and national reconstruction priorities in the wake of Peru's internal war (officially, 1980‐2000). I focus on the impact of the state's extractivism‐led agenda on indigenous Asháninka people's projects of remaking themselves into Asháninka sanori (‘real Asháninka people’). Taking an Asháninka sanori‐centred analysis of their experience of war and post‐war violence, I propose an approach to understanding the impact of mainstream reconstruction efforts on survivors that centres on the latter's articulations of personhood. This approach, possible through ethnographic engagement, sets anthropology at the forefront of the necessary rethinking of mainstream reconstruction interventions to foster approaches that are supportive of survivors’ priorities. The article explores a continuum of violence through war and extractivism that is undoing the networks of relations through which a group of survivors constitute themselves as people and communities and set their aspirations for the future.

Between Care and Conflict: Relations of Resource Extraction in the Peruvian Amazon

“…For some of my interlocutors, addressing game and land productivity shortages by rebuilding their relationships with aipatsite (our earth) and the ashitarori (owners/masters of animals) was central to ensuring food and land productivity (Sarmiento Barletti, 2021). As I was told repeatedly, these non‐human beings will only interact positively with those who hold their end of a reciprocal relationship of care.…”

“…Advocates of extractive development celebrate Peru's poverty reduction, from 60 percent of the population living below the poverty line in 2003 to 21.8 percent in 2015, as proof of its effectiveness (World Bank, n.d.). The expansion of hydrocarbon, mining and timber concessions is a continuation of an extractive development agenda justified as a pathway to progress in the wake of Peru's internal war (Sarmiento Barletti, 2021). In Atalaya, progreso (progress) is discussed as plans to connect it to Lima by road, as well as building roads and sidewalks in town, a larger plaza and airport, astroturf football pitches and swimming pools, and buildings to host tourists who rarely arrive (see Harvey, 2010 on development as concrete infrastructure in Peru).…”