Document Type

Research Paper

Publication Date

2012

Abstract

Homi K. Bhabha describes stereotype as phobia and fetish: changing the object of analysis itself and preventing the concretization of racial schema. It paves the way for a colonial fantasy that culminates in Otherness: “an articulation of differences contained within fantasy of origin and identity.” 17th century Lima, Peru was a cosmopolitan trading hub that continuously rewrote its convoluted stereotypes of ethnicity, class, and occupation, complicating the Inquisitorial proceedings that were framed by European beliefs about diabolism. It is within this space that the colonial witch was created; desperate clients and ingredients with shifting functions were the tools of the women accused of working as magical practitioners. They used the tri-continental syncretism that created them to continuously negotiate their identities and reap the benefits of their position within Otherness.

Department

Spanish

Comments

This is the Richard A. Harrison Symposium Award winning paper for 2012.

Academic Advisor: Madera Allan

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