Contenu du sommaire : Varia

Periodization is a strategic point of intersection between theory and empirical research. Its history reflects the debates which have taken place in Peruvian archaeology. The variety of periodizations postulated and/or practiced in the central Andean area, make it a privileged field of study. Assuming the necessary reciprocal relationship between the advance of every discipline and the knowledge of its history, this survey reviews the main periodization systems, the confrontations between differing tendencies, and the current panorama. This is historiograhic rather than a theoretical work about one specific aspect of Peruvian archaeology. The objective is to construct a critical and functional genealogy; that is, to present the genesis of the conceptual schemes used now, as well as their connections and limits.

Of the numerous Prehispanic archaeological complexes located in the Huatanay Valley Cusco, several are threatened or are being destroyed by external geodynamics phenomena (landslides, rock falls, lava flows, karstification and erosion). Most of these processes are slow, but many of them show signs of acceleration, due to their natural dynamics or by humain intervention: lack of maintenance, depredation, inappropriate agricultural and forestry activities, and uncontrolled urbanization and tourism.

The accompaniment provided to Alcide Dessalines d'Orbigny (1826-1878) during his travel through Southern America is a theme alluded to in historical writings, but seldom studied. This paper intends to prove, in broad outline, that the role of scientific assistants fades away in the traveler's narrative, in spite of its important contribution. The silence of his collaborators contributed to perpetuate the traditional image of naturalists working by themselves. In fact, the Parisian Muséum national d'histoire naturelle expedition led by d'Orbigny in Bolivia, received contributions from two of his compatriots as well as others belonging to several nationalities. One of his companions in his traveler was François Rossignon (?-1846). The purpose of this article is to introduce, for the very first time the Frenchman Rossignon as a naturalist, taxidermist, and occasionally as a Bolivian government official, following the traces of his experiences in the province of Caupolican. Rossignon, during more than sixteen years, was able to create a marvelous neo-tropical ornithological collection, which caused suspicion, interest, and even his own death. This article speculates about the causes of his demise and the his location of his collection. In this way, the article shed light on the functioning of local networks that constituted and commercialized natural history collections in the mid-19th century from Beni and Santa Cruz de la Sierra. It is suggested that Rossignon was in large part the preparatory of the neo-tropical ornithological collection that arrived to the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle of Paris between 1830 and 1834. In addition, he was an important informant for the elaboration of Viaje a la América Meridional. It is possible that d'Orbigny used Rossignon's experience of living in Caupolican to write about that province that he did not know personally, but is presented in Descripción geográfica, histórica y estadística de Bolivia (d'Orbigny, 1845). Information gathered in Bolivian archives radically changes the current perspective on the information upon which d'Orbigny based all his narratives concerning his own travel experiences.

Austria's political situation between 1933 and 1945 is reflected within the small Austrian community that settled in Peru. In 1934 the Austrian government was looking for ways to fend off Nazi Party influence outside Austria, and this led to the foundation of the Austrian «Patriotic Front». Instructions to establish this political organization arrived in Lima in 1936 but the members of the Austrian community opposed the idea, preferring to found a non-political association which they called «Austrian Union». This was due to the lack of unity inside the community and the need to create a space for Austrians living in and around Lima.The point of greatest controversy within the Austrian community, however, was the local branch of the Nazi Party, to which the Austrian consul and other consular officials belonged. This situation caused a huge stir within the community and led it- at the initiative of its Jewish members- to solicit in 1936 the destitution of the Consul. The Annexation of Austria in 1938 resulted in the closure of the Austrian Consulate, the automatically conversion of Austrians into citizens of the Third Reich, and ,in some cases, the harsh treatment of Austrians by the Peruvian population, who, given the language barrier, could not tell the difference between Germans and Austrians.After the outbreak of the Second World War, the immigration of Austrian Jews took on importance, despite efforts by the Peruvian government to avoid it. The majority of those who came to Peru during these years, after having fulfilled a number of formal requirements, were largely relatives of those Jews who had already settled in Peru, and also musicians and painters who, to a great extent, contributed to the development of fine arts in the country.

This article explores the principle efforts and limitations by the peasant producers of the coca leaf (cocaleros) to constitute themselves into a new «social movement» capable of problematizing civil society's cultural consensus, while also successfully participating in the political terrain. Furthermore, this article summarizes part of the IFEA- IEP fellowship research conducted on policy and democracy in the drainages where coca is grown. The article's first two points address the regional scenario. These analyze the demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the Valley of the Apurimac River as well as its historic and political processes, which have been marked by political violence and drug trafficking. These factors have decisively influenced the actor's identity, making it weak and confrontational. The two following points of the article delve deeper into the problematic of collective action by addressing the principle organizational strategies and the efforts to socialize the conflict between the actors. These strategies can be characterized by their difficulties in defining adversaries, and the presence of strong leaders (caudillismos) and pragmatic components that support isolation and fragmentation. It is thus not possible to articulate a national agenda for the coca growers, nor to establish alliances with other social actors that could enrich collective action. The article concludes by calling attention to the importance of attending to the coca problematic through on democratic channels as the best manner to avoid new situations of exclusion, polarization, and violence.