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| Instituto de Investigaciones Antropológicas (Bolivia) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Instituto de Investigaciones Antropológicas (Bolivia) |
| Native name | Instituto de Investigaciones Antropológicas |
| Established | 20th century |
| Location | La Paz, Bolivia |
Instituto de Investigaciones Antropológicas (Bolivia) is a Bolivian research institute dedicated to anthropological, archaeological, ethnographic, and ethnohistorical studies focused on the Andean region, Amazon basin, and Altiplano. The institute engages with indigenous organizations, museums, universities, and governmental bodies to document material culture, oral histories, and pre-Columbian sites. Its activity intersects with regional archives, international foundations, and academic networks across South America, North America, Europe, and Asia.
Founded in the context of 20th-century scholarly initiatives, the institute evolved alongside institutions such as Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, Museo Nacional de Arqueología, Instituto Boliviano de Cultura, Sociedad de Americanistas, and research centers influenced by figures like Max Uhle, Alfred Métraux, and Julio C. Tello. Early projects connected with expeditions to Tiwanaku, interactions with communities tied to the Aymara people, and comparative studies involving the Inca Empire, Wari culture, and Tiwanaku culture. Over decades the institute aligned with Latin American networks including CONICET, FLACSO, Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, and international partners such as Smithsonian Institution, British Museum, Musée de l'Homme, Max Planck Society, and UNESCO programs on heritage. Political transformations in Bolivia, including periods linked to legislation and ministries like Ministerio de Culturas y Turismo (Bolivia), influenced funding, repatriation debates, and community-based initiatives involving organizations like Confederación Sindical Única de Trabajadores Campesinos de Bolivia and local municipalities.
The institute's mission aligns with objectives common to institutes such as Instituto de Antropología de la Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, emphasizing documentation of indigenous languages, safeguarding intangible heritage, and comparative archaeology. Core objectives reference collaboration with entities like Organización de Naciones Unidas para la Educación, la Ciencia y la Cultura, Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo, and regional ministries to promote research, curate collections, and support policies affecting Aymara people, Quechua people, Guaraní people, Chiquitano people, and Amazonian groups. The institute prioritizes ethical engagement with communities represented by federations, syndicates, and councils, and contributes to debates involving institutions such as International Council on Monuments and Sites and initiatives like Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo.
The institute comprises research departments, curatorial units, an archives division, and fieldwork coordination, modeled on structures seen at Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and university-based centers like Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. Leadership roles interact with academic departments at Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, administrative bodies such as regional prefectures, and advisory boards including scholars from Universidad de Chile, Universidad de São Paulo, University of Cambridge, Harvard University, and University of Oxford. Operational units manage programs in archaeology, ethnography, linguistics, museology, and cultural heritage law, liaising with NGOs like CIPCA and foundations such as Ford Foundation and Rockefeller Foundation.
Research spans Andean archaeology, Amazonian ethnography, ethnohistory, linguistic documentation, bioarchaeology, and conservation science, with comparative reference points including studies of the Chavín culture, Moche culture, Nazca culture, Tiwanaku culture, and southwestern Amazonian groups. Major projects have targeted archaeological sites akin to Tiwanaku, surveys of landscapes comparable to Lake Titicaca, ethnohistorical work referencing colonial records like letters associated with Bartolomé de las Casas, and interdisciplinary studies integrating methods from institutions such as Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and Smithsonian Institution. Fieldwork collaborations have involved excavations, community ethnographies, and linguistic surveys of Aymara language, Quechua languages, and smaller language families, producing datasets comparable to those housed by Linguistic Society of America and repositories like Open Context.
The institute publishes monographs, journals, field reports, and exhibition catalogs, contributing to regional scholarship alongside journals such as Revista Andina, Latin American Antiquity, Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, Antiquity (journal), and edited volumes in collaboration with presses such as Plaza y Valdés, Cambridge University Press, and Routledge. Outputs include archaeological site reports, ethnohistorical editions, lexicons, and conservation manuals, and the institute's staff present at conferences including International Congress of Americanists, Society for American Archaeology, Latin American Studies Association, and meetings organized by Ibero-American Forum and university symposia at Universidad Nacional de Córdoba.
The institute maintains partnerships with national museums like Museo Nacional de Etnografía y Folklore, academic institutions including Universidad Mayor de San Andrés and Universidad Católica Boliviana, international museums such as British Museum and Field Museum, and research networks including REDESCLAC, IHOPE, and CIPSH. Collaborative projects have engaged with funding agencies like European Research Council, National Science Foundation, Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional, and bilateral agreements with ministries and indigenous federations. Partnerships extend to conservation agencies, legal experts in cultural patrimony, and community councils across departments such as La Paz Department, Potosí Department, Beni Department, and Santa Cruz Department.
Facilities include laboratories for archaeometry, conservation studios, an archive of colonial and republican documents, and curated collections of ceramics, textiles, metalwork, and human remains subject to ethical protocols aligning with repatriation processes seen at British Museum and Smithsonian Institution. The collections hold artifacts comparable to holdings at Museo Nacional de Arqueología and regional repositories, manage GIS databases, and maintain photographic archives similar to those of Department of Prehistory, Museo Británico. Storage and exhibition spaces collaborate with municipal museums, academic libraries, and digital platforms to facilitate access for researchers, students, and community stakeholders.
Category:Research institutes in Bolivia