Analysis of the perception of users regarding the process of reading human books: Experience of The Human Library in the National Library of Peru

Abstract

In Peruvian society, discrimination is a complex and longstanding problem that, despite the regulations in force at the national and international level, continues to be reproduced and legitimized in all social spaces. To counteract this situation, the National Library of Peru, in 2018, authorized the international organization The Human Library to present two “Human Library” activities, which were based on the reading of human books, that is, on a dynamic dialogue where books, volunteers, share with users their personal stories in order to dismantle the sociocultural schemes that base and legitimize discriminatory behaviors. The objective of this research was to find out if these activities fulfilled their purpose, so the perceptions that users built regarding the reading process were analyzed. For this, a qualitative descriptive study was carried out and grounded theory was applied, favoring some contributions from the straussian and constructivist approach. The results show that the reading process counteracts prejudices, stereotypes, beliefs, ideas, and stigmas that contribute to perpetuate and ensure discriminatory practices.