Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 October 2022
This essay analyzes the impact of an indigenous counterpublic sphere in contemporary Bolivia, arguing that it functions as an arena of differential consciousness for Aymara intellectuals and activists. In examining the work carried out by the Aymara nongovernmental organization known as the Taller de Historia Oral Andina (THOA), the essay highlights this sphere's importance as both a discursive and territorial arena where agency is expressed in the collaborative spirit of community. THOA's work is significant in strategically formulating a methodology of decolonization based on revisionist Andean historiography, territorial demands, and collective political action.
Earlier versions of this essay were read at the Helen Kellogg Institute for International Studies at the University of Notre Dame and at the Ohio State University. The author wishes to thank María Eugenia Choque Quispe, Guillermo Delgado, Jill Kuhnheim, Carlos Mamani Condori, Nancy Peterson, Aparajita Sagar, Josefa Salmón, and Fernando Unzueta for their insightful feedback on the manuscript. Research was supported by the Kellogg Institute and Purdue University.