Explanatory factors for the delay in the demarcation of indigenous lands in Brazil

Abstract

The administrative processes of recognizing Indigenous Lands (ILs) in Brazil can take decades to complete. Indigenous peoples who live in unrecognized ILs are more vulnerable to a series of rights violations, which makes the completion of demarcation processes urgent. This article aims to answer the following question: why do some demarcation processes take longer than others? We listed five conditions found in the literature on the demarcation of indigenous lands that can delay them. Next, we applied the qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) method in its crisp set mode to 40 cases of IL demarcation. We present two conclusions: the presence of economic interests is an important condition to explain the long duration of some demarcation processes, but it is neither necessary nor sufficient, and the conjunction of this factor with the judicialization of the demarcation process explains most cases of long-term demarcations.