Carnival, Ritual, and Race-Thinking in the Bolivian Andes

Abstract

This paper explores the intersection of race, religion, and colonial legacies through the lens of the Oruro Carnival, examining its role in shaping Bolivian identity. Critical religion scholars argue that the entanglement of race and religion is a product of Western modernity and colonialism, which has influenced both historical and contemporary power relations. This framework is applied to analyse the Carnival, where religious practices and festive performances intersect, reflecting colonial efforts at religious conversion and racial categorisation. By focusing on the ethnography of Oruro’s embodied festive practices, this study investigates how the Carnival contributes to the construction of difference amid Bolivia’s socio-political transformations. This paper also examines how, by the 20th century, colonial religious frameworks intertwined with secular racial categories, particularly through the rise of mestizaje as a nation-building discourse. A historical analysis of Carnival performances reveals how race, religion, and power have continually shaped the celebration, tracing its evolution from a segregated religious practice to a national spectacle, particularly after the 1952 revolution. The mutually configuring relationship between race and religion in Carnival highlights its role in both reinforcing and challenging dominant power structures.