RPCV Hugh Pickens reviews " Cultural Frontiers of the Peace Corps"



RPCV Hugh Pickens reviews " Cultural Frontiers of the Peace Corps"

Good Source Material, March 31, 2005
Reviewer: Hugh Pickens

(Baltimore, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

While the Marjorie Michelmore Peace Corps "postcard" incident in Nigeria in October 1961 is far better known (The incident was later made into the Broadway musical "Hot Spot."), there were other "international incidents" in the early days of the Peace Corps including the expulsion of four Peace Corps Volunteers from the University of Huamanga in Ayacucho, Peru after student protests in October 1963. The volunteers' teaching services at the University were terminated and they were reassigned to other duties. The history of this incident is presented in "Cultural Frontiers of the Peace Corps" edited by Robert B. Textor (MIT Press 1966) in Chapter 14 "Expulsion from a Peruvian University" by David Scott Palmer.

Dr. Palmer was one of the volunteers involved at Huamanga and went on to become Chairman of the Department of Political Science and founder of the Latin American Studies Program at Boston University. He has published many articles about contemporary Peruvian politics and history and was one of only four Americans invited to testify before Peru's Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2003.

There is a connection with the incident that an aspiring historian may want to research. I have never seen it mentioned in any of the books I have read about Peru in the 1960's and 1970's but when Abimael Guzmán was captured in 1992, I was surprised to learn that he had been a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Huamanga at the same time as the Peace Corps incident.

It would be interesting for someone to document Guzmán's involvement in the incident or if there was any involvement. Guzmán founded the subversive group "Por el Sendero Luminoso de José Carlos Mariátegui" in Ayacucho in 1966 and Sendero began its armed struggle fourteen years later with an attack on an isolated rural polling station in Ayacucho province on May 18, 1980. His group was ultimately responsible for the murder of tens of thousands of Peruvian citizens during the 1980's before he was captured in 1992 and sentenced to life imprisonment by a military court.

As as interesting footnote, Dr. Palmer was invited back to Peru in 1998 to lecture for four months at the same University he was expelled from 35 years before. His recollections of Sendero Luminoso and it's inception at the University of Huamanga were included in an interview he granted to Caretas (Issue 1967, published in 2001), a news magazine published in Lima, Peru.

Good Source Material.

When this story was posted in March 2005, this was on the front page of PCOL:


Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers

The Peace Corps Library Peace Corps Online is proud to announce that the Peace Corps Library is now available online. With over 30,000 index entries in 500 categories, this is the largest collection of Peace Corps related stories in the world. From Acting to Zucchini, you can find hundreds of stories about what RPCVs with your same interests or from your Country of Service are doing today. If you have a web site, support the "Peace Corps Library" and link to it today.

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Crisis Corps arrives in Thailand After the Tsunami in Southeast Asia last December, Peace Corps issued an appeal for Crisis Corps Volunteers and over 200 RPCVs responded. The first team of 8 Crisis Corps volunteers departed for Thailand on March 18 to join RPCVs who are already supporting relief efforts in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and India with other agencies and NGO's.

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This Month's Feature Stories - only on PCOL Dream Come True - Revisiting India after 34 years The Coyne Column: Read Winning Vanity Fair PCV Essay Tomas Belsky's paintings inspired by service in Brazil RPCV reunites with friend after 40 years RPCV reviews "Los Heraldos Negros" by Cesar Vallejo Photo Essay: Taking it to the Streets

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March 26, 2005: This Week's Top Stories PCVs in Kyrgyz Republic Are Safe 25 Mar The Coyne Column: A Good Friday Message 25 Mar Frederic Zenhausern developing "biometric bodysuits" 24 Mar Robert Blackwill calls for US co-operation with India 23 Mar Margaret Krome promotes alternate crops 23 Mar Al Kamen says allies disappointed in World Bank 23 Mar Ambassador Randall L. Tobias speaks at PC 22 Mar Becky Binns helps organize 30-hour fast 22 Mar Fred Poses meets with Vice-Premier in China 22 Mar John Hoff unionizes substitute teachers in Hawaii 21 Mar Bill Moyers takes time to "sit and vegetate" 21 Mar Tony Hall says Ethiopia may need more food aid 21 Mar Taylor Hackford's 'Ray' wins four NAACP Image Awards 21 Mar PCV seeks tap shoes for students in Moldova 20 Mar Adam Donaldson learns to believe in Baltimore 20 Mar Allen Andersson builds libraries in Central America 19 Mar Senator Sarbanes' quiet leadership will be missed 15 Mar

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March 26, 2005: RPCV Groups in the News Houston RPCVs sponsor "Around the World in a Day"on April 6 25 Mar Minnesota RPCVs need Photos for Exhibition 24 Mar Vasquez to visit DePaul University on April 6 22 Mar New Jersey RPCVs host exhibit in Maplewood on April 2 20 Mar Maryland RPCVs eat crab cakes in Annapolis 17 Mar Connecticut RPCVs held fundraiser on March 5 3 Mar RPCVs: Post your stories or press releases here for inclusion next week.

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RPCVs in Congress ask colleagues to support PC RPCVs Sam Farr, Chris Shays, Thomas Petri, James Walsh, and Mike Honda have asked their colleagues in Congress to add their names to a letter they have written to the House Foreign Operations Subcommittee, asking for full funding of $345 M for the Peace Corps in 2006. As a follow-on to Peace Corps week, please read the letter and call your Representative in Congress and ask him or her to add their name to the letter.

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Add your info now to the RPCV Directory Call Harris Publishing at 800-414-4608 right away to add your name or make changes to your listing in the newest edition of the NPCA's Directory of Peace Corps Volunteers and Former Staff. Then read our story on how you can get access to the book after it is published. The deadline for inclusion is May 16 so call now.

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March 1: National Day of Action Tuesday, March 1, is the NPCA's National Day of Action. Please call your Senators and ask them to support the President's proposed $27 Million budget increase for the Peace Corps for FY2006 and ask them to oppose the elimination of Perkins loans that benefit Peace Corps volunteers from low-income backgrounds. Follow this link for step-by-step information on how to make your calls. Then take our poll and leave feedback on how the calls went.

Make a call for the Peace Corps PCOL is a strong supporter of the NPCA's National Day of Action and encourages every RPCV to spend ten minutes on Tuesday, March 1 making a call to your Representatives and ask them to support President Bush's budget proposal of $345 Million to expand the Peace Corps. Take our Poll: Click here to take our poll. We'll send out a reminder and have more details early next week.

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