Transformations of collectivism and individualism in the Peruvian central Andes: A comunidad over three decades

Abstract

Andean peoples have a longstanding reputation for collective spirit, while the pressures of capitalism and the modern state are seen to promote individualism. This article uses fieldwork from over three decades in the Peruvian comunidad campesina I call Allpachico to examine how collectivist and individualist behaviour have intertwined and transformed. Over this time, governments and NGOs have facilitated and discouraged different collective forms at distinct moments, while the complaints made by the people highlight both the barriers they encounter in working together and the forms of individualism that are blamed. This detailed historical perspective provides insight into grassroots debates about how to define and practice community, as well as to how and why collective action is inadequate to gain livelihood in each of three eras. Neither collectivism nor individualism is clearly gaining ground; rather, the forms of each and their inter-relationship transform over time.