Dépouillement du document :
1- Introduction
From Grass Roots Maroma Revival to Institutional Maroma Safeguarding Project
Overview of Chapters
Contributions
Theoretical Framework
Neoliberal Patrimonialization
Neoliberal Governmentality
Heritage Regimes
Notes on the Applicability and Limits of my Framework
The Greater Maroma Mixteca Scene
Methodology

2- Maromeros in Historical and Geographical Context
Maromeros in 17th Century to the early 19th Century:
A Confluence of European and Indigenous Arts
European roots
Mesoamerican Roots
Maroma Companies in New Spain
Maromeros in the 19th Century:
Encountering the Modern European Circus and Creating Their Own Niche
Maromeros in the Countryside during the Age of the Modern Circus:
Continuation and Notes on the Process of Localization
Maromeros from the Mid-20th Century to the Present:
Revitalization and Adaptation in Southern Mexico
The Maroma’s Social Base and Geographic Distribution
Maroma Revitalization and Exchange
Conclusion

3- The General Context of the Mixteca
Environment and Geography
Cultural History and Religion
Social Organization
Socio-economic Aspects
Migration
Cultural and Ethnic Identity

4- The Maroma Ritual
A Closer Look at the Typical Elements of a Maroma Mixteca Ritual:
Structures, Bands, Acrobats, Actors, and Clowns
Maroma Structures
Brass Bands
Acrobats: Artists of the Earth, Sky, and the In-Between
Actors and Actresses: The Stars of Pantomimes and Interludes
The Clown Poet: The Heart of the Fiesta
The Significance and Function of the Ritual:
For Maromeros, the Patron Saint, and the Community

5- The Maroma as Labor
Don Porfirio’s Life History
The Known Origins of the “Dinastía Méndez” Maroma Company:
The Legacy of Pablo and Crispín Méndez
Don Porfirio Inherits his Father’s Maroma Company
Don Porfirio Leads a New Generation of
Maromeros in the Family and Community
Passing on the Maroma to Family and Community
The Decline of the Maroma Company
The Maroma as a Job and a Commitment
Juana Méndez’s Life History
Making Ends Meet as a Maroma Company
Travel and the Role of Juana’s Grandmother, Sabina Méndez
What the Maroma Gave Juana:
A Unique Experience and Leadership Skills
Juana’s Attempt to Pass on the Maroma to a New Generation
Concluding Analysis: A Changing Patron Saint Fiesta Environment

6- The Maroma as Intangible Cultural Heritage
Culturas Populares
The Maroma Safeguarding Project Overview
UNESCO “on the ground” in the Mixteca:
How Culturas Populares began the Maroma Safeguarding Project
Starting the UNESCO Maroma Dossier
The First Workshop: The 2008 Participatory Cultural Planning
Workshop for Members of Maromero Groups of the Mixteca
The UNESCO Dossier’s Content
Submitting the UNESCO Dossier
The Symbolic Rejection of UNESCO and its Effects
Workshops
Workshop #2: High Altitude Acrobatics Training
Workshop #3: Makeup & Body Expressions
Workshop #4: Verses and Singing
Workshop #5: Equilibrium Techniques on
the Tightrope & Stage Performance Techniques
Analysis of the Workshops
Workshops as Meeting Places for Exchange
Aspects of the Maroma Were Selected
for Revitalization and Development
Maromeros Expanded Their Networks
Workshops as Training Grounds for Meetings of Maromeros
Meetings of Maromeros
Meeting #1 (2008) First Meeting of Maromeros in the Mixteca
Meeting #2 (2009) In the Maroma: A Life Dedicated to Folk Art
Meeting #3 (2012) Maromeros in Huaxtepec
Meeting #4 (2012) La Maroma en Acaquizapan
Meeting #5 (2013) Meeting of Maromeros:
Workshops, Video Presentations, and Forum
Analysis of the Meetings of Maromeros
Meetings Served as Stages
Maromeros Traveled Farther
Impacts to the Well-being of Elders
Thoughts on the Limitations of the Project

7- Conclusion

Résumé :
In the Mixteca, Mexico, the maroma is a circus-like performance and ritual in which ordinary people transform into extraordinary artists, with the goals of transforming their public by way of wonder and shared laughter while honoring saints and deities. In the early aughts, a group of maroma performers started organizing to safeguard their tradition as it was dying out due to emigration, poverty, and uneven development. To this grass roots revitalization process, the federal institution Culturas Populares added their own resources and strategies, inspired by UNESCO's 2003 “Convention on the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.” This dissertation is an ethnographic exploration of the ways that maroma performers maintain the tradition as well as how the maroma began to be safeguarded as “intangible cultural heritage” (ICH) institutionally. In its presentation, this dissertation makes use of interviews, life histories, institutional sources, and field observations based on 16 months of research. It contributes to the performance literature; to the maroma literature by telling the history of a 5th generation maroma family; to the history of labor in the Mixteca in the 20th century; and to the question: What is set in motion when a cultural practice is declared ICH? It argues that if future initiatives want to safeguard the maroma more sustainably and equitably, then understanding its history, context, and the ways it is imbued with local meaning must be, at the very least, considered if not better understood. Moreover, it seeks to be a resource for those who want to know about past safeguarding efforts (what worked and what did not) as well as what impact these had, if any, on development, livelihoods, the artform, etc. Lastly, it proposes “neoliberal patrimonialization” (Carrillo 2019), as a synergistic process by which select local cultural practices can be turned into ICH, acquiring, as such, greater value and visibility for people at wider levels. It suggests that, despite its limits and need for further exploration, the concept helps to contextualize the different social actors and institutions surrounding practices deemed ICH and the ways heritage is approached in UNESCO-inspired safeguarding initiatives.

Collection : Bibliothèque de l'École nationale de cirque

Localisation : Traitement documentaire