Voice and Nation in Plurinational Bolivia: Aymara Radio and Song in an Age of Pachakuti

The book explores the role of Aymara language media activism in Bolivia during the presidency of Evo Morales (2006–2019), focusing on radio broadcasters, hip hop artists, and community members. It examines how Aymara media and cultural workers combat the threat of language obsolescence by making the language audible in diverse corners of Aymara life and explores the role of Indigenous multilingualism in Bolivian politics. The book reveals how language professionals determine how "the voice of the people" should sound and disseminate a register of dehispanicized Aymara over the airwaves. It highlights the political commitment and anti-racist practice of these language professionals.

Format: Hardback
Length: 200 pages
Publication date: 13 June 2024
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

This book presents ethnographic narratives of Aymara language media activism in Bolivia during the presidency of Evo Morales (2006-2019). It is based on research conducted among Aymara language radio broadcasters, hip hop artists, and community members during a period of radical social change and Indigenous political resurgence (pachakuti) in South America's most Indigenous republic. The Plurinational Republic of Bolivia recognizes Aymara as one of its official languages, but concerns exist about the threat of language obsolescence despite its widespread use. This ethnographic account of Indigenous language activism explores how Aymara media and cultural workers combat this threat by making the language audible in diverse aspects of Aymara life and examines the role of Indigenous multilingualism in Bolivian politics. Through interviews and analysis of Aymara media texts, this study reveals how language professionals determine the sound of "the voice of the people" and disseminate a register of dehispanicized Aymara over the airwaves. The study highlights how these language professionals approach cultivating Aymara as a matter of political commitment and anti-racist practice, rather than solely a question of linguistic competence. Organized into two sections, one on radio and one on song, the book includes clear explanations and illustrations of key concepts in linguistic anthropology. It listens to Aymara language advocacy from devout Catholics, union militants, and hip hop artists and fans, who hear in their language both the past and the future of Bolivia.

Weight: 460g
Dimension: 238 x 160 x 16 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350324718