The Complexity and Salience of Ethnic Identity in Peru

Abstract

The first challenge in reflecting on identity, and in particular ethnic identity, is that every one of us has multiple dimensions to our identity. As Amartya Sen says, ‘The same person can, for example, be a British citizen, of Malaysian origin, with Chinese racial characteristics, a stockbroker, a nonvegetarian, an asthmatic, a linguist, a bodybuilder’ (Sen 2006: 24). And which identity is most important will often depend on the person’s history and context. There may also be a variation between that identity I feel within me, that ascribed to me by others, and that I am prepared to present to the outside world. Identities evolve, and our use of our own or others’ identity can be highly instrumental. Society’s attitudes and prejudices may affect both how we see ourselves and how we try to be seen by others. Discrimination and prejudice are realities, the more difficult to analyse and evaluate because they are often denied.