The Persistence of the Fujimori Legacy in Peru

The legacy of Alberto Fujimori in Peru has often been treated by scholars as moribund at the regime’s end in 2000. However, this thesis reassesses the recent past to shed light on the persistence of the Fujimori legacy in the twenty-first century. Peru’s twentieth century political history culminated in 1990 with a breakdown of the traditional political system concurrent with grave economic and social crises. These developments allowed for political outsider, neopopulist and authoritarian Alberto Fujimori to become president in 1990. The Fujimori administration saw the development of a persistent legacy that powerfully captured and shaped meanings of an internal war and the restoration of macroeconomic stability, despite the period’s widespread corruption. This thesis argues that Fujimori’s daughter Keiko’s near presidential win in 2011 emphasizes the persistence of this powerful legacy. Applying a contemporary historical methodology, this thesis examines the Fujimori legacy via the intersection of public opinion and intellectual interpretation.Arts and Sciences, Irving K. Barber School of (Okanagan)History and Sociology, Department of (Okanagan)UnreviewedUndergraduat