Race, Ethnicity and Religion in Neoliberal and Post-neoliberal Bolivia: A Study of Two Films

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Flores, B. (2022). Race, Ethnicity and Religion in Neoliberal and Post-neoliberal Bolivia: A Study of Two Films. Unc Charlotte Electronic Theses And Dissertations.
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Abstract

ABSTRACTThe objective of this thesis is to use two films: Marcos Loayza’s Cuestión de fe (1995) and Kief Davidson and Richard Ladkani’s The Devil’s Miner (2005) to analyze their representations of Indigenous religious practices. I focus on two different perspectives, and I analyze the different identifications of people and the way that they have adapted to centuries of religious oppression. I argue that there are different representations of religiosity within a Bolivian production and US production of a Bolivian film. The choice to analyze these two films allows me to demonstrate the connections between film and religion, proving that films play an important role in the way that people perceive and portray religion; secondly, this comparison allows me to show that Bolivian cinema has produced films and documentaries that identify how Indigenous identity is represented through religion. In making these observations, this thesis contributes to understanding how identity and politics come together to affect the portrayal of religion. In the chapter dedicated to Cuestión de fe (1995) I argue that this film analyzes the way in which religion was used as a means of both oppression and resistance. I also focus on the way in which this usage of religion for oppression and resistance was therefore perceived and displayed within Bolivian cinema. In the chapter on The Devil’s Miner (2005), I argue that this film revolves around the syncretic practices from Indigenous cultures in the Bolivian Andes. This fusion of Indigenous and Christian beliefs creates an avenue for Indigenous resistance, particularly for those people who have to work in the mines.

Details
Author

Flores, Bertha

Title

Race, Ethnicity and Religion in Neoliberal and Post-neoliberal Bolivia: A Study of Two Films

Physical Description

1 online resource (65 pages) : PDF

Date

2022

Degree Granting Institution

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe objective of this thesis is to use two films: Marcos Loayza’s Cuestión de fe (1995) and Kief Davidson and Richard Ladkani’s The Devil’s Miner (2005) to analyze their representations of Indigenous religious practices. I focus on two different perspectives, and I analyze the different identifications of people and the way that they have adapted to centuries of religious oppression. I argue that there are different representations of religiosity within a Bolivian production and US production of a Bolivian film. The choice to analyze these two films allows me to demonstrate the connections between film and religion, proving that films play an important role in the way that people perceive and portray religion; secondly, this comparison allows me to show that Bolivian cinema has produced films and documentaries that identify how Indigenous identity is represented through religion. In making these observations, this thesis contributes to understanding how identity and politics come together to affect the portrayal of religion. In the chapter dedicated to Cuestión de fe (1995) I argue that this film analyzes the way in which religion was used as a means of both oppression and resistance. I also focus on the way in which this usage of religion for oppression and resistance was therefore perceived and displayed within Bolivian cinema. In the chapter on The Devil’s Miner (2005), I argue that this film revolves around the syncretic practices from Indigenous cultures in the Bolivian Andes. This fusion of Indigenous and Christian beliefs creates an avenue for Indigenous resistance, particularly for those people who have to work in the mines.

Genre

masters theses

Subjects--Topics

Area studies
Religion

Subjects--Places

Latin America

Degree

M.A.

Keywords

Bolivian Film
Indigenous Religion
Kief Davidson And Richard Ladkani
Marcos Loayza
Spiritual Conquest
Syncretism

Subject Area

Latin American Studies

Advisor(s)

Dalton, David

Committee Members

Soliz, Carmen
Hoenes del Pinal, Eric

Degree Note

Thesis (M.A.)--University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 2022.

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Rights Holder Information

Copyright is held by the author unless otherwise indicated.

Identifier

Flores_uncc_0694N_13136

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.13093/etd:2976