Le Maya Q'atzij/Our Maya Word: Poetics of Resistance in Guatemala

Le Maya Qatzij / Our Maya Word critically analyzes poetic works by ten contemporary Maya writers from five different Maya nations in Iximulew/Guatemala, using Indigenous and decolonial theoretical frameworks to show how Maya literature offers diverse and heterogeneous perspectives about what it means to be Maya in the contemporary world.

Format: Hardback
Length: 264 pages
Publication date: 13 July 2021
Publisher: University of Minnesota Press

In 1954, Guatemala experienced a coup detat, initiating a protracted civil war that lasted for several decades. During this turbulent period, Indigenous Mayans faced widespread displacement, disappearances, and extrajudicial killings. Within the context of the armed conflict and the postwar era in Guatemala, Kiche Maya scholar Emil Keme identifies three historical phases of Indigenous Maya literary insurgency. These phases involve Maya authors utilizing poetry to assert and dignify their unique cultural, political, gender, sexual, and linguistic identities.

Le Maya Qatzij / Our Maya Word employs Indigenous and decolonial theoretical frameworks to critically analyze poetic works authored by ten contemporary Maya writers from five distinct Maya nations in Iximulew/Guatemala. Similar to other Maya authors throughout colonial history, these writers and their poetry employ creative means to critique the ongoing colonial assaults on their existence by the nation-state. Throughout the book, Keme highlights the decolonial potentialities and limitations proposed by each Maya writer, offering a fresh and insightful approach to understanding Maya living realities and the emancipatory challenges they face in Iximulew/Guatemala.

This groundbreaking work demonstrates how Indigenous Maya poetics actively engages in processes of decolonization, particularly in how Maya literature presents diverse and heterogeneous perspectives on what it means to be Maya in the contemporary world. By foregrounding the voices of Maya authors and delving into the rich tapestry of their poetry, Le Maya Qatzij / Our Maya Word provides a valuable contribution to the field of literary studies and offers a deeper understanding of the complex and multifaceted experiences of Indigenous peoples in Guatemala.

Dimension: 216 x 140 x 38 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781517908072