Mayalogue: An Interactionist Theory of Indigenous Cultures

by Victor Montejo

In Mayalogue , Native Mayan scholar Victor Montejo provides an alternative reading and interpretation of cultures, challenging Western ethnocentric approaches that have marginalized Native knowledge and worldviews in the past. He proposes instead a methodology for studying culture as a unified whole, a radical departure from the compartmentalized sections of knowledge recognized by Western scientific tradition. Offering a strong critique of traditional anthropological studies, with its terms and categories that have denigrated Indigenous cultures throughout the centuries, Montejo's postcolonial work aims to dismantle the colonialist construction of Indigenous cultures, giving way to a Native approach that balances insider and outsider descriptions of a particular culture. Developed from an Indigenous Maya perspective, Mayalogue is a contribution to the dialogue between Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars, students, and general audiences in the social sciences and humanities, and will be an essential text in decolonizing the minds of those who engage in the study of cultures anywhere in the world in the twenty-first century.

258 pages, Hardcover

Published October 1, 2021

Reviews

[RAT 2.o · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although some parts were redundant and I believe could have used editing, the work as a whole gives an interesting glimpse at the tridimensional Mayalogical point of view; that is, a multilogue between humans, nature and the supernatural realm. I especially appreciated the overview regarding Western ethnocentric approaches that have served the function of marginalizing Mayas. I hope this work will gain recognition as it contributes to dismantling the colonialist construction of Indigenous cultures and provides a solid framework to engage in the study of cultures.