Rebelling against invisibilisation. The identity question of the peruvian indigenous peoples as a political phenomenon

Abstract

The article analyzes the identity question of Peruvian Indigenous peoples as a political phenomenon linked to the coloniality of power. Based on Aníbal Quijano’s theoretical framework, it examines how Indigenous identities have historically been shaped by processes of racialization, assimilation, and exclusion within the Peruvian nation-state. The process of de-indigenization, promoted through strategies of whitening and cultural Europeanization, coexisted with structural discrimination that limited the political and social participation of Indigenous peoples. The text highlights the emergence of Indigenous movements in response to the crisis of the oligarchic state and the impact of agrarian reforms and urbanization on the transformation of collective identities. Globalization and neoliberalization have reconfigured the struggle for recognition, driving demands for autonomy and self-determination under international frameworks such as ILO Convention 169. However, the inclusion of terms like plurinationality and multiculturalism in Latin American constitutions has not led to profound structural changes. Indigenous identity remains a contested political space, where communities seek autonomy in the face of states that continue to reproduce colonial power structures.