Indigenous youth subcultures and new media in Latin America

Lead Research Organisation: University of Manchester
Department Name: Arts Languages and Cultures

Abstract

The UN estimates that around 50% of Indigenous people in Latin America have Internet access, compared to 67% for the continent as a whole. But on both sides of this connectivity gap, young people are by far the largest user group. In the past 20 years, Indigenous organisations in Latin America have developed multiple digital communication platforms through which they actively participate in local, national and international agendas. Nevertheless, racism, discrimination and poverty remain endemic. This project explores how some of the most vulnerable populations in Latin America - young Mapuche and Kichwa Indigenous people in Argentina, Chile and Ecuador - combine art, social media and new technology as tools of self-expression, resistance, and interaction with the wider world.

The transformative impact of digital technology and the Internet on youth culture is undeniable. So too is the importance of cultural creation and consumption as a means of self-expression and community formation for young people. However, in the Global South, research still tends to focus on development indicators like connectivity in relation to education and employment. This neglects the obvious question: "What do young Indigenous people actually do with digital technology?" In the 1990s, analogue technologies like community radios and fanzines were vital in shaping and expressing a modern urban Indigenous identity and forging new links between politics and the arts. For young Indigenous people today, this role is filled by the Internet, digital media and content-sharing platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, all of which have had a fundamental impact on how culture is created, disseminated and consumed. This makes studying online cultures, and the social interactions and communities they generate, vital in order to understand the systemic racism and social disadvantage faced by Indigenous youth and the strategies they use to address them. In doing so, this project challenges homogenised understandings of Indigenous cultures that inadvertently reinforce intersecting inequalities and marginalise Indigenous young people within and outside their communities.

This interdisciplinary project combines ethnographic case studies of, and collaborations with, young Mapuche and Andean Kichwa creators and community members. Online ethnography will map online youth cultures across different social media platforms. Given the enduring importance of territory, local communities and face-to-face interaction for both Indigenous and subcultural life, we will also carry out face-to-face ethnography to understand the symbiotic relationship between online and offline culture and communities. We will combine these approaches with a hermeneutic reading of cultural products produced by young Indigenous creators - music, video, animation, photography, etc. - to better understand the specific discourses, meanings and communities they facilitate.

A collaboration between researchers in the UK, Argentina and Ecuador, the project will produce a series of academic articles of benefit to scholars interested in Indigenous peoples, youth cultures and digital media in Latin America and beyond. A website, online exhibition and public events in the UK and Latin America will showcase cultural products by young Indigenous creators and facilitate discussions about the challenges they face. All of these materials will contribute to a report on young Indigenous people's use of new media in cultural production and consumption, to be circulated among state agencies, Indigenous organisations and national and international NGOs. This will aim to make a contribution to existing programmes that focus on social inclusion and providing support to young Indigenous artists. Finally, this work can also provide insights into the future of Indigenous movements and communities more broadly, and feed into wider discussions about the decolonisation of social media.

Publications

10 25 50
 
Description Pawkar Peguche 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Pawkar Raymi is one of the foremost Indigenous celebrations in the Otavalo region, celebrated in Kichwa communities from February to early March. In the community of Peguche, Pawkar Raymi features cultural celebrations, sports competitions, and music concerts, attracting tens of thousands of attendees, including many who live abroad. Recognised as Ecuador's intangible heritage by the National Ministry of Culture and Heritage and the National Institute of Cultural Heritage, it has been a vital expression of Indigenous Kichwa identity and culture for almost three decades. Our collaboration with the 2024 organising committee facilitated funding for live broadcasts on social media of concerts featuring Andean musical genres, and the 'mundialito' Indigenous football championship, aligning with our project's focus on digital engagement among young Indigenous Kichwa individuals with cultural content. Highlights of Pawkar Peguche 2024 included the Noche Internacional (10th February 2024), featuring musical performances by Kichwa artists based in Ecuador, Bolivia, and Belgium, drawing approximately 16,500 in-person attendees and 55,000 online viewers, and the Runakay (11th February 2024), which opened with a ritual cleansing ceremony and required that attendees arrive in ethnic dress to enjoy the music of bands originating in Peguche. The Runakay drew about 12,000 in-person participants and 45,700 online viewers.
The project's partnership with the University of Manchester and the AHRC was publicly acknowledged during the festival's programme presentation (which included the mayor's presence), the traditional football match marking its commencement, various communications throughout the event, and was featured on the official poster. Pawkar Peguche not only serves as a significant cultural and tourist event in the region, but also functions as a vital connection point for the extensive Indigenous Otavaleño diaspora abroad, who were able to engage with the festival online through social media platforms.
The collaboration served as a valuable opportunity to expand our network of contacts. The PDRA Joe Quick, who was conducting fieldwork in Otavalo at the time, benefited from full access to all areas of the festival. This allowed him to carry out interviews with key individuals and participant and non-participant observation. Additionally, it represented a gesture of reciprocity towards a community often wary of researchers from the Global South, aiming to counter perceptions of "academic extractivism" reminiscent of historical colonial practices. While the Pawkar festival has recently concluded, it remains premature to assess the event's impact and the potential medium-term implications of our collaboration.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2024
URL https://www.facebook.com/pawkarpeguche2024