Full title: Maoist Bromides, a Presidente Gonzalo Cult, and an Andean Cultural Revolution: The Curious Allure of the Shining Path Ideology

The Shining Path led a vicious guerrilla war in Peru from 1980-1992 that culminated in more than 70,000 dead, over half at the hands of the Shining Path itself. A small Maoist party that defended the Cultural Revolution, the Shining Path developed an ideology that seemed to run against history and have little prospects for success. It not only vilified other leftist parties and their heroes (from Fidel Castro to Peru's Juan Velasco Alvarado), but also sustained a stark class analysis. Their pamphlets and brochures reproduced Maoist formulas and rhetoric, barely adjusting them to the Peruvian reality. This presentation will examine how this derivative and harsh discourse helped attract thousands of followers.

Guest lecturer: Charles Walker, UC Davis
Professor of History