Mambe in urban contexts, or the production of new forms of consumption

Abstract

This article analyses the consumption of Amazonian mambe (coca powder) in urban contexts amongst non-indigenous populations in Leticia and Bogotá. The interest in this research sprung from the observation of the steady rise in the consumption of mambe within the non-indigenous population. This observation made me question on the cultural contexts in which mambe is being used and incorporated and on the cultural meaning associated with its use. In Leticia, I focused my research on Universidad Nacional, where professors, researchers and students frequently consume mambe. In Bogotá, I chose a homeopathy medical centre in which mambe is used for therapeutic reasons and a spiritual community guided by a re-ethnicized indigenous leader. The analysis delves into the social relationships along the new routes of circulation and consumption of mambe and into the new scenarios for inter-ethnic relations; and also into the construction of indigenous representations and identity formation of those who use mambe in diverse practices and meanings and the different ways in which mambe is consumed.

Keywords

• coca
• mambe
• consumo urbano del mambe
• constitución de identidades
• representaciones de lo indígena
• Amazonia colombiana