The Nahua: Language and Culture from the 16th Century to the Present (IMS Culture and Society)
Description :
Revealing the resiliency of Nahua culture and language while highlighting the adaptations and changes they have undergone over the centuries The Nahua demonstrates that Nahuatl remained a
vibrant and central language well after European contact and into the twentyfirst century and its characteristic features can provide insight into nuanced aspects of Nahua culture and historyDuring the colonial period Nahuatl became a means of empowerment oppression and indoctrination In modern times Nahuatl continues to serve as an ideological lightning rod for both the Mexican government and Indigenous communities Contributors to this volume focus on Nahua intellectual production from the sixteenth century to the present contact and the negotiation of meaning adaptations of Christian lore that show how representations of creation hell and the Passion of Christ reflected Nahua perceptions and understandings Nahua cultural expressions including poetry healing rituals and even running language and geography Nahuatl placenames and the transformation of Nahuatl speakers from antiquity to the presentShowcasing how Nahuatls cultural resilience permanently shaped the regions social geography The Nahua engages the fields interest in the nonhomogenous character of the language with regional and subregional dialects and pronunciations that reflect the history of preColumbian migrations and modernera influences Bridging the study of Nahuatl as a historical Indigenous language tradition with the study of modernday speakers and their experiences this work is of significance to students scholars and speakers of the languages as well as those studying colonial New Spain Indigenous resilience or Indigenous linguistics