Queer Archive and Memory in Peru: Understanding Marica Practices of Preservation in Contemporary Andean Societies – Roland Alvarez Chavez

In this talk, Roland Alvarez Chavez explores the spiritual/religious and aesthetic practices of Marica and racialized people of the central Andes of Peru, which aim to preserve memory. It sheds light on the intersubjective meanings in these practices that can be seen as resistance to the imposition of the colonial gender binary, expropriation of spirituality, and erasure through language, laws, and religion. Moreover, Marica practices can be understood through a distinct principle of duality which has been present since the earliest cultures in the Andean region, often represented as the complementarity between masculine and feminine forces. This dualist embodiment was called ‘Chuqui Chinchay’ and was associated to the feline deity or the Andean cat. 

Part of Roland Alvarez Chavez's research entails the restoration of an erased Marica presence and knowledge through the building of an archive: Archivo Memoria Disidente (https://www.facebook.com/archivomemoriadisidenteperu, https://www.instagram.com/memoriadiversaperu/). This archive is based on personal and collective memory. It consist principally of oral memories and photographs from people who want to share their stories and experiences with the project.

Roland Alvarez Chavez is a sociologist and PhD candidate at the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS), Erasmus University Rotterdam. He has worked on multi-level public-private partnership projects, leading planning and Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) processes, with extensive experience in social research and qualitative and mixed-methods approaches. His current work focuses on archive and memory construction projects. His most recent book, Estampas Maricas de Lima (2023), explores the queer history of Lima through archival research and critical fabulation.

Gender and Diversity Network, in cooperation with the Center for Critical Studies 

Contact: Sebastián Eduardo Dávila (sebastian.eduardo@leuphana.de)