Becoming Maya

Becoming Maya
Title Becoming Maya PDF eBook
Author Wolfgang Gabbert
Publisher University of Arizona Press
Pages 273
Release 2022-08-30
Genre History
ISBN 0816550816

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In Mexico's Yucatán peninsula, it is commonly held that the population consists of two ethnic communities: Maya Indians and descendants of Spanish conquerors. As a result, the history of the region is usually seen in terms of conflict between conquerors and conquered that too often ignores the complexity of interaction between these groups and the complex nature of identity within them. Yet despite this prevailing view, most speakers of the Yucatec Maya language reject being considered Indian and refuse to identify themselves as Maya. Wolfgang Gabbert maintains that this situation can be understood only by examining the sweeping procession of history in the region. In Becoming Maya, he has skillfully interwoven history and ethnography to trace 500 years of Yucatec history, covering colonial politics, the rise of plantations, nineteenth-century caste wars, and modern reforms—always with an eye toward the complexities of ethnic categorization. According to Gabbert, class has served as a self-defining category as much as ethnicity in the Yucatán, and although we think of caste wars as struggles between Mayas and Mexicans, he shows that each side possessed a sufficiently complex ethnic makeup to rule out such pat observations. Through this overview, Gabbert reveals that Maya ethnicity is upheld primarily by outsiders who simply assume that an ethnic Maya consciousness has always existed among the Maya-speaking people. Yet even language has been a misleading criterion, since many people not considered Indian are native speakers of Yucatec. By not taking ethnicity for granted, he demonstrates that the Maya-speaking population has never been a self-conscious community and that the criteria employed by others in categorizing Mayas has changed over time. Grounded in field studies and archival research and boasting an exhaustive bibliography, Becoming Maya is the first English-language study that examines the roles played by ethnicity and social inequality in Yucatán history. By revealing the highly nuanced complexities that underlie common stereotypes, it offers new insights not only into Mesoamerican peoples but also into the nature of interethnic relations in general.

Popular a Memoir

Popular a Memoir
Title Popular a Memoir PDF eBook
Author Maya Van Wagenen
Publisher Penguin
Pages 274
Release 2014
Genre Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN 0525426817

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Documents a high school student's year-long attempt to change her social status from that of a misfit to a member of the "in" crowd by following advice in a 1950s popularity guide, an experiment that triggered embarrassment, humor and unexpected surprises.

Invaluable

Invaluable
Title Invaluable PDF eBook
Author Maya Grossman
Publisher
Pages
Release 2020-09-15
Genre
ISBN 9781735436302

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On Being Maya and Getting By

On Being Maya and Getting By
Title On Being Maya and Getting By PDF eBook
Author Sarah R. Taylor
Publisher University Press of Colorado
Pages 178
Release 2018-11-19
Genre Social Science
ISBN 1607327724

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On Being Maya and Getting By is an ethnographic study of the two Ek’Balams—a notable archaeological site and adjacent village—of the Yucatán Peninsula. When the archaeological site became a tourist destination, the village became the location of a community-based tourism development project funded by the Mexican government. Overt displays of heritage and a connection to Maya antiquity became important and profitable for the modern Maya villagers. Residents of Ek’Balam are now living in a complex ecosystem of natural and cultural resources where the notion and act of “being Maya” is deeply intertwined with economic development. The book explores how Ek’Balam villagers negotiate and maneuver through a web of social programs, tourists, volunteers, and expectations while living their daily lives. Focusing on the active processes in which residents choose to participate, author Sarah R. Taylor provides insights into how the ideological conflicts surrounding economic development play out in the negotiations between internal community politics and external social actors. The conflicts implicit to conceptions of “community” as a target for development are made explicit through the systematic questioning of what exactly it means to be a member of a local, indigenous, or sustainable community in the process of being developed. On Being Maya and Getting By is a rich description of how one community is actively negotiating with tourism and development and also a call for a more complex analysis of how rural villages are connected to greater urban, national, and global forces.

Ancient Maya Politics

Ancient Maya Politics
Title Ancient Maya Politics PDF eBook
Author Simon Martin
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Pages 543
Release 2020-06-18
Genre History
ISBN 1108483887

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With new readings of ancient texts, Ancient Maya Politics unlocks the long-enigmatic political system of the Classic Maya.

On Being Maya and Getting By

On Being Maya and Getting By
Title On Being Maya and Getting By PDF eBook
Author Sarah R. Taylor
Publisher Institute for Mesoamerican Studies
Pages 178
Release 2018-11-19
Genre Social Science
ISBN 1607328577

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On Being Maya and Getting By is an ethnographic study of the two Ek’Balams—a notable archaeological site and adjacent village—of the Yucatán Peninsula. When the archaeological site became a tourist destination, the village became the location of a community-based tourism development project funded by the Mexican government. Overt displays of heritage and a connection to Maya antiquity became important and profitable for the modern Maya villagers. Residents of Ek’Balam are now living in a complex ecosystem of natural and cultural resources where the notion and act of “being Maya” is deeply intertwined with economic development. The book explores how Ek’Balam villagers negotiate and maneuver through a web of social programs, tourists, volunteers, and expectations while living their daily lives. Focusing on the active processes in which residents choose to participate, author Sarah R. Taylor provides insights into how the ideological conflicts surrounding economic development play out in the negotiations between internal community politics and external social actors. The conflicts implicit to conceptions of “community” as a target for development are made explicit through the systematic questioning of what exactly it means to be a member of a local, indigenous, or sustainable community in the process of being developed. On Being Maya and Getting By is a rich description of how one community is actively negotiating with tourism and development and also a call for a more complex analysis of how rural villages are connected to greater urban, national, and global forces.

Famous Friends: Maya Angelou and Oprah Winfrey

Famous Friends: Maya Angelou and Oprah Winfrey
Title Famous Friends: Maya Angelou and Oprah Winfrey PDF eBook
Author Tamra B. Orr
Publisher Fox Chapel Publishing
Pages 79
Release 2024-05-14
Genre Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN 1637414722

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Famous Friends: Maya Angelou and Oprah Winfrey is a perfect narrative non-fiction book for young learners. It's packed full of historical information about inspirational entertainers, Maya Angelou and Oprah Winfrey's friendship, including their troubling childhoods, their instant connection and how they made each other, and the world, a better place. Also included are historical photos, a chronological timeline of their lives and friendship, chapter notes, a glossary, works consulted and further reading recommendations for student research.