Still Seeking Recognition: Mapuche Demands, State Violence, and Discrimination in Democratic Chile

• Published in: Latin American and Caribbean ethnic studies 2013-05, Vol.8 (3), p.255-279
• Main Authors: Richards, Patricia, Gardner, Jeffrey A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Capitalism; Chile; Democracy; Discrimination; Elites; Indigenous movements; Indigenous Populations; Intellectuals; Justice; Mapuche; Mapuches; Narratives; Native peoples; Neoliberalism; recognition; Reform; Violence
• ISSN: 1744-2222; 1744-2230
• DOI: 10.1080/17442222.2013.779063

As recent research demonstrates that recognition-based reforms have not addressed many of the substantive demands of indigenous movements, many scholars claim that the movements have moved beyond recognition to focus now on the effects of neoliberal capitalism and material claims. However, setting aside formal recognition of indigenous peoples as a focus of analytic concern may have the unintended effect of drawing attention away from two issues: first, recognition continues to be a pertinent concern for some indigenous movements; and second, recognition and redistribution are understood by many indigenous people as inherently linked. Our analysis focuses on the case of the Mapuche in Chile, showing that they are not 'after' recognition or redistribution; their ongoing struggle for justice entails demands that lie at the intersection of the two. The import as well as the contested character of recognition can be seen in state policy, the Mapuche's own demands, local elites' narratives of exclusion, and the transborder goals of the movement. We argue that combating the ongoing harms faced by indigenous peoples requires developing an understanding of recognition and redistribution that views them as inherently linked rather than as different types of claims.