Llaki and Ñakary: Idioms of Distress and Suffering Among the Highland Quechua in the Peruvian Andes

Duncan Pedersen, Hanna Kienzler, Jeffrey Gamarra

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

53 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This article examines some of the long-term health outcomes of extreme adversities and the ways in which social inequalities and idioms of distress are historically and socially produced in the Peruvian context. We describe how the highland Quechua of northern Ayacucho construct and experience expressions of distress and suffering such as pinsamientuwan (worrying thoughts, worries), ñakary(suffering) and llaki (sorrow, sadness), in a context of persistent social inequalities, social exclusion and a recent history of political violence. It is concluded that the multiple expressions of distress and suffering are closely related to past and current events, shaped by beliefs, core values and cultural norms and, in this process, transformed, recreated and invested with new meanings and attributions.
Original languageEnglish
Article numbern/a
Pages (from-to)279-300
Number of pages22
JournalCulture Medicine and Psychiatry
Volume34
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2010

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