While hostage-taking may be interpreted as an act of unilateral violence, the Aénts Chicham [ex Jivaro] of Ecuadorian Amazonia deploy it as an act of hospitality: for example, by feeding and caring for the hostages (typically members of the armed forces and civil servants) and introducing them to the plights of the locals through involvement in community activities. This paper aims to examine the so-called ‘Stockholm syndrome’ through the lens of Amerindian familiarization. Rather than a pathological phenomenon whereby the hostage develops an unjustified empathetic bond with the aggressor, we show how the Chicham deploy it as an eminently diplomatic manoeuvre in which they invert the terms: the hostage turns into the aggressor, and the hosts’ capture becomes a way to transform cold acts of aggression into opportunities for political redress.

Please join us next Friday, Feb. 18th, at 3:00 PM ET (20:00 GMT) for a presentation by Dr. Natalia Buitron of the University of Cambridge, entitled "Beyond Stockholm: An Amerindian perspective on hostage-taking as political overture". Please contact <cracia [dot] info [at] gmail [dot] com> to receive the Zoom link.