Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures Publications and Other Works
Source Publication (e.g., journal title)
9th Ohio Latin Americanist Conference at Ohio University
Document Type
Presentation
Publication Date
February 2010
Abstract
The Quechua theatrical work Ollantay (discovered in the 18th century) provides a vital opportunity to observe how the colonial Quechua peoples contextualized the importance of communication. My reading of Ollantay focuses on the negotiation of communication between characters as a didactic means of social interaction for indigenous peoples living in colonial Latin America. The act of communication is prioritized over the actual message communicated between characters; it is clear that those that abide by this communicative equation find themselves in positions of either power or accomplishment and those that ignore this rule do not. In order to sustain a hierarchal position it is not necessary to maintain absolute control over communicative expression; rather it is imperative to cede control of the conversation at times to other characters. Reading Ollantay from this perspective–as a social model of negotiated communication–may provide the reader a better understanding of indigenous thought processes during the colonial period in Latin America.
Recommended Citation
Ray, Andrew M., "Reading Ollantay: The Negotiation of Communication in Colonial Quechua Theater" (2010). Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures Publications and Other Works.
https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_modepubs/1