Maria Amalia Pesantes Villa

Maria Amalia Pesantes Villa

PhD Candidate

"OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND

INTERCULTURAL NURSE TECHNICIANS IN THE PERUVIAN AMAZON"

Interculturalidad does not have a single static meaning; rather, its meaning is specific to the context and actor using it. In this talk I will discuss the complexity inherent in the use of the concept of interculturalidad to implement projects and policies for indigenous people through a case study of a grassroots initiative in intercultural health promoted by AIDESEP, an organization that represents indigenous communities from the Peruvian Amazon.

I will discuss the limitations of the strategies of both the indigenous organizations and the State around intercultural health and the creativity that, despite these limitations, a group of indigenous nurse technicians use to provide intercultural health care.

Through the analysis of the approaches used by the Peruvian State and AIDESEP to provide intercultural health in Peru, I will argue that without structural changes in the State’s support and promotion of indigenous medicine, intercultural health will only produce superficial changes.

Furthermore, I will explain why without active political support from indigenous organizations, changes in healthcare delivery for indigenous people will not achieve policy-level changes. Based on my research, I argue that interculturalidad, remains a well-intentioned idea that, when implemented, falls short of delivering the changes it seeks to promote.