Does the stigma produces depoliticization? Participation, stigmatization due to political violence and rejection of Sendero Luminoso in the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos

Abstract

In the period of political violence experienced by Peru in the late 20th century, repression of activism in several public universities was accompanied by a strong stigmatization of these institutions, followed by a massive political demobilization among students. Currently there are forms of political disaffection in this population, but has not been sufficiently investigated whether this relates to the stigma. This paper examines this issue, based on ethnographic and statistical data from the University of San Marcos (UNMSM). It was found that: (i) there is not a broad depoliticization in the UNMSM, but a distance from university’s domestic politics due to blockages in the institutional channels for student participation, while the stigma is not involved in this phenomenon; (2) the majority rejection of Sendero Luminoso does not define a distance from politics, but more participatory and critical trends; and (iii) alternative forms of participation does not necessarily imply an opposition to traditional politics, and they are not generated due to stigma. While there is no a link between stigma and political participation, prejudices and stereotypes about students persist, which should be the subject of further studies and interventions.