Paper Short Abstract:

Drawing on how young “mestizos” (mixed, nonindigenous) in urban Peruvian Amazonia are reclaiming their Indigenous ancestry as a source of cultural and symbolic value, I speculate on how this shift could reshape future Latin American –and global– legal frameworks surrounding Indigenous rights.

Paper Abstract:

This paper examines ongoing changes in Amazonian identity politics, focusing on young men and women in urban Peruvian Amazonia who ethnically identify as “mestizo” (mixed, nonindigenous). Key literature shows how, historically, identity politics in Latin America have been dominated by the colonial ideology of “mejorar la raza” (improving the race); a principle distinct from the North American “one-drop rule”. Yet, in contrast to past tendencies to downplay Indigenous heritage, many young mestizos today view their “Indigenous blood” as a source of cultural and symbolic value, countering the ethnic homogenization trends of their parents' generation. Some young mestizos are “re-indigenising” their ethnic status by drawing on remote Indigenous ancestry: in emic terms, a single symbolic “drop” of Indigenous blood is increasingly valued as a marker of identity, granting access to sociocultural capital as well as legal and financial benefits.

Building on these findings, I speculate on how this could affect future legal frameworks tied to self-identification policies underpinning Indigenous rights. I imagine a future where mestizos might claim the benefits of self-determination while maintaining the advantages of their hybridity. This paper invites reflection on how anthropology might engage with such evolving identity practices, imagining how they might reshape future understandings of ethnicity –in Latin America and beyond.