Indigenous and Popular Thinking in América (review)

Abstract

kusch, Rodolfo. Indigenous and Popular Thinking in America. Durham, NC: Duke UP, 2010. Ixxvii + 209 pp.This book, first published in 1970 in Spanish, is one of most important works by Argentinean philosopher and anthropologist Rodolfo Kusch, and constitutes a milestone in conception of Latin thinking and identity within. It is also first of Kusch's works to be translated into English. In Indigenous and Popular Thinking in America (IPTA), philosopher elaborates anthropological and philosophical category of estar as one of characterizing features of indigenous thinking. As he explains, (Latin) self is culturally split by ser and estar, and needs to overcome this divide by reconciling both conditions. In this way, Kusch proposes, (Latin) self will be able to focus on his own cultural human determination. This reconciliation could be possible by means of what he calls fagocitacion, understood in this context as absorption or consumption of self.At this point, it is important to note author's discursive and linguistic choices, especially in his use of Aymara, Quechua, Spanish, and Latin terms for key concepts that are difficult to translate to another language without losing its intended meaning. As Maria Lugones and Joshua Price, translators of this edition in English, observe, there is an important cluster of key concepts that are examined in their indigenous linguistic context, such as utcatha, pacha, amauta, and kuty, among others. They add to Spanish and Latin terms that form part of author's central reflection on definition of (Latin) self: ser, estar, asi, ahi, habitat. In their introduction, translators recognize Kusch's intentional choice of these terms. Faced, then, with task of translating into another language and subsequent distortion of meaning as well as reduction that a glossary would imply in this case, Lugones and Price opt for intruding least into thinker's mission. They keep these key terms in their original language, provide translation to English - when available and in parenthesis - and try to keep them embedded in Kusch's reflection. Likewise, translators are also aware of author's choice of America when naming Latin America while North America is considered and referred to as part of and Modernity. Thus Lugones and Price leave America with an e in English version since this name reflects Kusch's depiction of repressed Latin reality. Finally, we need to be aware of Kusch's choice to refer to notions such as American, European, Indigenous, and Western in an abstract universal sense, as well as his particular way of referring to Modernity as the West or the Science.In order to understand breadth of Kusch's ideas in this book, it is helpful to look at his works before and after production and publication of this text. In 1953, author explored dual character of America and mestizo consciousness in a series of essays that were published under title La seduccion de la barbarie: analisis heretico de un continente mestizo. Almost ten years later, his America profunda (1962) examined Andean world vision and proposed necessity of looking carefully at presence of American soul (alma americana). In this work, Kusch also set ground for his reflection between (ser) or being someone (ser alguien) in West, which should be understood differently from indigenous being standing (estar). The latter constitutes basic element of his reflection on mestizo consciousness that he started to propose in his 1953 book. In 1996, Kusch published two new books whose ideas will surface in IPTA. A concept similar to what Mary Louise Pratt proposed in 1991 as zone can be found in his Indios, portenos y dioses. This book showcased his reflection on his travels in Latin America and his explanation about areas or zones of contact between Westerners and Indians. …