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Publication

Boruca behind the Mask

Journal Contribution - e-publication

Subtitle:empoderamiento, etnodesarrollo y etnorresistencia en una comunidad indígena costarricense
The Boruca community of Costa Rica is known for its colorful devil masks, symbol of their struggle against colonization. Despite their advanced state of acculturation and the loss of ancestral language, Boruca self-identification is based on ethno-resistance as the main marker of the community. The commodification of cultural heritage, with the commercialization of the masks on the initiative of a women's cooperative, Flor de Boruca, boosted ethno-development and created the conditions for new strategies of ethno-resistance in the digital age. The interconnected dynamics of empowerment, ethno-development and ethno-resistance constitute decolonial methodologies of "survivance" according to a proper Boruca agenda. The study highlights the entrepreneurial role of Boruca women focusing on the revitalization of language and orality through digital media.
Journal: Journal of Iberian and Latin American research
ISSN: 1326-0219
Volume: 22
Pages: 250 - 263
Publication year:2016