Shining Path: Guerrilla War in Peru’s Northern Highlands (Liverpool Latin American Studies, 6)

Liverpool Latin American Studies

by Lewis Taylor

The Insurrection mounted by the Sendero Luminoso or 'Shining Path' guerrilla movement, sparked one of the most vicious civil wars in recent Latin American history, in which an estimated 69,000 people lost their lives. A high proportion of the victims comprised rural people from Peru's Andean mountains. Shining Guerrilla War in Peru's Northern Highlands examines the origins and trajectory of the conflict in the Cajabamba-Huamachuco region, located in the country's northern sierra, a hitherto ignored theatre of conflict in Peru's recent civil war. Central to the book is the changing relations between guerrilla fighters and the rural population. How, and to what extent, did the Shining Path succeed in building popular support? What tensions arose between the rebels and the civilians? The book also surveys the literature on Shining Path dealing with the Ayacucho and other departments, comparing and contrasting developments elsewhere in the north. Taylor traces the area's recent
agrarian history, assessing the impact of land reform and the emergence of radical peasant organizations in the decade preceding the initiation of armed activity. Using interview data and reports drafted by the security forces, Taylor reveals the the state responses to this violent and bloody insurrection. Expertly written and extremely accessible, Shining Guerrilla War in Peru's Northern Highlands provides a comprehensive analysis of a tragically ignored chapter in Peru's civil war.

Genres: History

256 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2006

Reviews

[Rohit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well-written academic text about the rise and fall of the Shining Path in northern Peru. A bit dry, but still quite readable, even if you don't have any previous knowledge about Peruvian history or the Shining Path. The book gives a generally well-balanced view of the entire conflict, and the practices of the state, the guerrillas, and the various people caught between them. Although interestingly, parts of the book read kind of as if the author was giving criticisms to the Shining Path on how to be a better communist guerrilla group. Also interesting was the historical context of the country in the '60s and '70s, and the dynamics of the military government and various other revolutionary groups.