Tradition and Rupture: The Evolution of Peruvian Conservatism

This chapter examines the evolution of Peruvian conservatism across three centuries, revealing a distinctive pattern of traditionalist authoritarian dominance punctuated by periodic ruptures and elite reconsolidation. Readers will discover how Peru’s conservative elite maintained four foundational pillars-racialized hierarchies, Hispanism, conservative Catholicism, and state centralism-throughout the nineteenth century despite liberal challenges. The analysis traces twentieth-century revolutionary cycles that paradoxically strengthened conservatism, culminating in Alberto Fujimori’s fusion of neoliberal economics and authoritarian governance. This chapter demonstrates how twenty-first-century Peruvian conservatism has transformed into a more ideological formation driven by transnational religious networks mobilizing against feminist and LGBTQ+ movements. By situating Peruvian conservatism within regional and global dynamics, this chapter illuminates how cyclical patterns of crisis and authoritarian response continue shaping contemporary political possibilities, offering readers analytical tools for understanding Peru’s recurring oscillation between democratic aspiration and hierarchical restoration.