Avoir été « civilisé » par des franciscains

What is it about?

In the 19th century, the Bolivian state and the economic interests of the Lowlands entrusted the Franciscan missions with the task of “reducing” and “civilising” the Guarayos, in other words turning them into a workforce available for the national agricultural and industrial labour market. This project was declared a reality in 1939. This article describes the economic and political transformations that this project imposed on the Guarayos in the 1840s, in particular by establishing “work” as a central value and activity. Then it analyses the local remembrances of the missionary period. Finally, it looks at how some Guarayos reuse practices and institutions inherited from the Franciscans in the contemporary Bolivian context.

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