The academic publication of the Amazonian Center for Anthropology and Practical Application (CAAAP) was presented at the National University of San Marcos in Lima, Peru. This new issue brings together research on intercultural bilingual education, indigenous resistance, territorial conservation, gender, and the rights of Amazonian peoples.
On October 14, the Faculty of Social Sciences at the National University of San Marcos (UNMSM) in Lima hosted the presentation of issue No. 39 of the journal *Amazonía Peruana*, an academic publication of the Amazonian Center for Anthropology and Practical Application (CAAAP), which contributes to knowledge, reflection, and debate on the realities of Amazonian indigenous peoples.
The event brought together Ismael Vega, director of the journal’s Editorial Board; Jaime Regan, a researcher at CAAAP and member of the board; and Luisa Elvira Belaunde, an anthropologist at UNMSM and member of the Editorial Board. The participants shared reflections on the main contributions of this issue and the challenges faced by indigenous peoples in defending their rights, territories, cultures, and ancestral knowledge.
Research to Understand the Reality of the Amazon
During the presentation, Ismael Vega highlighted the articles’ contribution to the academic and public debate on the relationships between the state, national society, and indigenous peoples. The articles address topics such as indigenous resistance, gender, Buen Vivir, intercultural bilingual education, territorial conservation, the media, violence, and public policy.
This research takes on special relevance in light of growing extractive pressures, illegal economies, and institutional challenges in guaranteeing the rights of Amazonian communities. Against this backdrop, the journal offers tools to bring their experiences, knowledge, and proposals to the forefront, as well as their initiatives of resistance and defense of life.
One of the featured topics was intercultural bilingual education. Jaime Regan discussed the article “Dialogue of Knowledge and Intercultural Bilingual Education in the Peruvian Amazon: Reflections from FORMABIAP,” which analyzes the experience of the Training Program for Bilingual Teachers in the Peruvian Amazon (FORMABIAP).
The research highlights the importance of developing educational proposals that recognize the knowledge of indigenous peoples and promote horizontal relationships among different ways of understanding the world. It also underscores the link between educational processes, languages, collective memories, cultures, and Amazonian territories.
Cultural Representation and the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
For her part, Luisa Elvira Belaunde offered a critical reflection on the article “Heritage Construction and Interculturality in the Museum Representation of Amazonian Indigenous Peoples: A Case Study,” by Mary Casa Salazar.
The study examines how the cultural diversity of indigenous peoples is represented at the Museum of Amazonian Indigenous Cultures and raises questions about the relationship between heritage conservation and contemporary approaches to interculturality.
Among its key contributions, the study warns of the risk of representing indigenous peoples solely through their cultural and aesthetic expressions, thereby relegating their current realities, collective rights, and ties to the territory to the background. In light of this, it highlights the need to promote more participatory forms of representation that incorporate the voices, experiences, and perspectives of the peoples themselves.
The dialogue among experts allowed for a deeper exploration of the challenges facing education, culture, knowledge production, and the recognition of indigenous rights, highlighting the importance of listening to and valuing the perspectives of Amazonian communities.
Knowledge in the Service of the Amazonian Peoples
With the publication of its 39th issue, the journal *Amazonía Peruana* reaffirms its commitment to producing and disseminating research that contributes to understanding the region’s complexity and to strengthening the debate on the rights, knowledge, and proposals of indigenous peoples.
From the perspective of a Church with an Amazonian face, the recognition of ancestral knowledge, the defense of territories, and the promotion of intercultural education are fundamental dimensions for accompanying the lives of these peoples and building more just relationships between human societies and nature.
The dissemination of these academic contributions helps strengthen spaces for dialogue among researchers, communities, institutions, and Church actors, fostering a deeper understanding of the Amazon and the hopes, struggles, and challenges of its peoples.