The power of the word: student and teacher oratory in post-independence Peru

Abstract

The ability to speak Spanish according to certain conventions has been a variable of social status and political legitimacy throughout Peruvian history. Since colonial times, eloquence was a common practice among those with access to formal education. This article analyzes a sample of speeches given by students and teachers, both men and women, and reproduced in newspapers and pamphlets during the first half-century of Peruvian independence. These speeches have received virtually no historiographical attention. In addition to the religious and political objectives of eloquence in general, studied by other authors, we examine the personal motivations and social aspirations of the speakers. Republican discourse contributed to the participation of traditionally silenced groups in public speaking. Occasionally, these interventions were negatively received, since while for some education and eloquence were vehicles of social mobility, for others they were instruments to ratify and perpetuate existing hierarchies.