The two faces of Lima: Racial discrimination in the context of social protest in Peru

Abstract

Racial discrimination in Peru, especially during social protests, reflects structural inequalities and historical stigmatization of minority groups, where "terruqueo" and the media perpetuate stereotypes and justify repression, affecting social cohesion. In this sense, the intention to understand racial discrimination helped us identify and address the structural and cultural roots that perpetuate this phenomenon. The study adopted a hermeneutic qualitative approach, analyzing two contradictory videos during the protests of July 29, 2023, in the capital of Peru. Non-participant observation and qualitative coding were used to examine 208 comments, allowing for a detailed interpretation of the social and cultural dynamics involved. The findings evidenced that during a protest context, the prevalence of dehumanizing and pejorative adjectives, along with marked racial and class biases in public discourse, highlights a deep stigmatization of minority groups. Additionally, the influence of popular culture in perpetuating stereotypes, along with a clear tendency towards the criminalization and stigmatization of protesters, reflects how police and military repression is socially legitimized, justified, and favored. In this sense, we understand that racial discrimination acts as a "framework of racial delegitimization" that perpetuates inequalities and maintains social hierarchies through racially charged narratives and stereotypes, amplified by the media. Public discourse not only reflects but also exacerbates prejudices, legitimizing repressive responses and maintaining the "status quo" by the power groups that employ this tool as social control.