Luis E. Valcárcel
Luis E. Valcárcel (1891-1987) was a Peruvian historian, anthropologist, teacher, and museum director. He was involved with prominent Peruvian figures like José Carlos Mariátegui and César Vallejo and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1982.
Teaching trajectory
He began teaching the History of Peru and the History of Peruvian Art at the National College of Sciences and Arts of Cusco and the National University of San Antonio Abad in Cusco in 1917. He was a central figure of the "Cuzco School" of indigenous activists and thinkers and contributed to the radical Peruvian journal Amauta.
Political trajectory
He was involved in political reform movements from a young age, initiating a successful university strike in 1909 that led to pedagogical changes at the Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco, centering research and indigenous studies. He served as Peru's Minister of Education from 1945 to 1947 under President José Luis Bustamante y Rivero.
Connections between both careers
As Minister of Education, Valcárcel expanded and improved educational systems, particularly for indigenous communities, creating Rural School Centers to promote bilingual education. His political actions as Minister directly reflected his advocacy for indigenous rights and education, which he also expressed in his writings and teaching career, praising pre-conquest Andean civilization and de-emphasizing Europe within the Indigenismo movement.
Sources
https://read.dukeupress.edu/hahr/article/63/1/188/148317/Luis-E-Valcarcel-Memorias
https://centroluisevalcarcel.com/2022/07/26/biografia-de-luis-e-valcarcel/
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13645145.2015.1045189
https://chambioutofthearchive.hemi.press/4-from-inca-to-neo-inka-towards-a-performative-and-visual-indigenismo/