- Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences
Wager Building, room 128
University of Reading
Reading RG6 6AB
UK - +44 (0) 1183788853
- I am a researcher specialised in the ethnographic study of Andean culture, particularly in Peru where I have conducted extensive fieldwork. I completed undergraduate studies in Education and History in Spain, before working for five years in museum jobs in the UK; where I also completed an MA in ... moreI am a researcher specialised in the ethnographic study of Andean culture, particularly in Peru where I have conducted extensive fieldwork. I completed undergraduate studies in Education and History in Spain, before working for five years in museum jobs in the UK; where I also completed an MA in Latin American Studies and a PhD in Andean Ethnography.
I am currently working as a Social Scientist (PDRA) at the Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences of the University of Reading, as part of the research project ‘Climate Resilience and Food Production in Peru’(CROPP), 2020-23, funded by the Royal Academy of Engineering of the UK.
This project explores the effects of climate change, and the adaptative capacities to it, in farming communities of the Peruvian Andes; and it is a continuation of a previous one, ‘Adaptive Capacity of Farming Communities to Climate Change in the Peruvian Andes’ (ACCESS), 2018-19, funded by the British Academy, where I worked as a Post-doctoral Research Assistant.edit
Francisco Ferreira (2015) ‘De-demonizing the VRAEM: A Peruvian-cocalero area,’ Substance Use & Misuse (USA). Online-15th December. Paper-2016, 51 (1): 41-53. The valley of the rivers Apurímac, Ene, and Mantaro (VRAEM) is the main... more
Francisco Ferreira (2015) ‘De-demonizing the VRAEM: A Peruvian-cocalero area,’ Substance Use & Misuse (USA). Online-15th December. Paper-2016, 51 (1): 41-53.
The valley of the rivers Apurímac, Ene, and Mantaro (VRAEM) is the main center of coca production in Peru. This is a jungle area located between the southern highland regions of Ayacucho and Cuzco, and it is notorious for the presence of drug trafficking and the last remnants of Shining Path guerrillas. As a result, it occupies a central place in security policies in Peru, and has been “demonized” in the national imaginary. This article explores the current situation, recent history, and most important collectives of the VRAEM, challenging stereotypes about it.
The valley of the rivers Apurímac, Ene, and Mantaro (VRAEM) is the main center of coca production in Peru. This is a jungle area located between the southern highland regions of Ayacucho and Cuzco, and it is notorious for the presence of drug trafficking and the last remnants of Shining Path guerrillas. As a result, it occupies a central place in security policies in Peru, and has been “demonized” in the national imaginary. This article explores the current situation, recent history, and most important collectives of the VRAEM, challenging stereotypes about it.
Research Interests:
The moving and mixing of objects and materials from different sources has played a central role in a range of Andean ritual practices, both in the past and the present. In this chapter, I address the potential conceptual links between... more
The moving and mixing of objects and materials from different
sources has played a central role in a range of Andean
ritual practices, both in the past and the present. In this
chapter, I address the potential conceptual links between
some of these ritual practices, and the use of fill materials
from mountaintop sites deployed in certain ushnu platforms
built by – or under – the Incas. My objective is to explore an
ethnographic approach to, and interpretation of, this particular
aspect of these platforms.
sources has played a central role in a range of Andean
ritual practices, both in the past and the present. In this
chapter, I address the potential conceptual links between
some of these ritual practices, and the use of fill materials
from mountaintop sites deployed in certain ushnu platforms
built by – or under – the Incas. My objective is to explore an
ethnographic approach to, and interpretation of, this particular
aspect of these platforms.
Research Interests:
This edited volume brings together several scholars who have produced outstanding ethnographies of Andean communities, mostly in Peru but also in neighbouring countries. In their chapters, these authors revisit their original works in the... more
This edited volume brings together several scholars who have produced outstanding ethnographies of Andean communities, mostly in Peru but also in neighbouring countries. In their chapters, these authors revisit their original works in the light of contemporary anthropology, focusing on different academic and personal aspects of their ethnographies. This book also offers a review of the evolution and role of community ethnographies in the context of Andean anthropology, reflecting on their contribution to the study of Andean culture.
Research Interests:
Ferreira, F. (2016) 'Introduction: Community Ethnographies and the Study of Andean Culture,' in F. Ferreira with B.J. Isbell (eds.) A Return to the Village: Community Ethnographies and the Study of Andean Culture in Retrospective. London:... more
Ferreira, F. (2016) 'Introduction: Community Ethnographies and the Study of Andean Culture,' in F. Ferreira with B.J. Isbell (eds.) A Return to the Village: Community Ethnographies and the Study of Andean Culture in Retrospective. London: Institute of Latin American Studies, School of Advanced Studies, University of London (ISBN 978-1-908857-24-8), pp. 1-43.
This is the introduction of an edited volume that explores the role of community ethnographies in the study of Andean culture, particularly in Peru but also in neighbouring Bolivia and Ecuador. The book brings together prestigious anthropologists who have produced outstanding community ethnographies in these Andean countries, between the 1970s and 2000s. In their respective chapters, they reassess their original work in light of contemporary Anthropology. The introduction explains the origins and objectives of the book, offering a review and interpretation of Andean community ethnographies.
This is the introduction of an edited volume that explores the role of community ethnographies in the study of Andean culture, particularly in Peru but also in neighbouring Bolivia and Ecuador. The book brings together prestigious anthropologists who have produced outstanding community ethnographies in these Andean countries, between the 1970s and 2000s. In their respective chapters, they reassess their original work in light of contemporary Anthropology. The introduction explains the origins and objectives of the book, offering a review and interpretation of Andean community ethnographies.
Research Interests:
My PhD thesis is an ethnographic study of a “Peruvian peasant community” (PPC), where far-reaching social change coexists with most traditional aspects of local culture. PPCs are a paradigmatic type of Andean community characterized by... more
My PhD thesis is an ethnographic study of a “Peruvian peasant community” (PPC), where far-reaching social change coexists with most traditional aspects of local culture. PPCs are a paradigmatic type of Andean community characterized by distinctive forms of communal organisation and ancient historical origins. This thesis offers a detailed case study that helps to understand the maintenance and functioning of these communities in the Twenty-first Century. It also reassesses key theoretical and methodological approaches to the anthropological study of Andean culture, such as the role of community ethnographies. The study was based on 16 months of fieldwork undertaken in the highland region of Ayacucho.