Linking Separate Worlds

This pathbreaking ethnography of population movements between rural and urban places in Peru addresses the conceptual and methodological problems of studying ‘deterritorialized' populations and the implications of this for anthropology's notions of culture and identity. Based on extensive fieldwork, this book explores the economic, social and ritual bonds which link migrants in Peru's major cities to their Andean native village. Many urban migrants establish networks based on kinship and marriage ties to exploit resources in the city as well as the village. These networks ensure they maintain strong links to their native village. Fiestas, soccer tournaments and folklore festivals also play a crucial role in the formation of migrant communities in Peru's cities. The author analyses these performance practices and shows how they give rise to the creation of new social identities. The participation of second generation migrants, returning migrants, and migrant spouses in village life is also discussed.

'an original ethnographic and theoretical advancement.'European Review of Latin American and Caribbean Studies'Ethnographically rich, theoretically provocative and methodologically innovative, Linking separate worlds synthesises more than a decade of fine-tuned research.'Social Anthropology'Paerregaard employs well-organised data and historical documents to examine the various social modifications through an analysis of social networks rather than through the more common analysis of change in places of destination.'British Bulletins of Publications on Latin America, the Caribbean, Portugal and Spain'A short review cannot do justice to the cultural richness of the analysis and the reviewer can only urge economists with an interest in migration to read this book.'Latin American Studies

Karsten Paerregaard Institute of Anthropology,University of Copenhagen