Historical memory and present-day oblivion: The Mapuche conflict in post-dictatorial Chile

Abstract

The conflict between the Chilean state and the Mapuche ethnic minority, and the history of dispossession of land, discrimination and marginalization go back to the end of the nineteenth century. The Pinochet military dictatorship made matters worse by giving their land away to big forest and hydroelectric enterprises. The end of the dictatorship produced expectations that these historical injustices would be addressed. While the post-dictatorship governments have implemented social assistance and cultural recognition policies, they have continued the economic policies put in place under the dictatorship and have criminalized social protests by sections of the Mapuche community. Meanwhile, Chilean society more broadly has remained indifferent towards the plight of Mapuche because of the pervasive narratives that depict Mapuche as standing outside the nation. Neither the state nor non-indigenous society has resolved their relationship with the Mapuche minority.

A day in the life: Using contextual interviews to understand the health of home-based Mapuche weavers

“…The Mapuche endured significant struggles in Chile dating back to the Pacification of the Araucanı ´a . This territorial campaign by the Chilean government forced the Mapuche into reservations while their land was sold to Chilean and foreign settlers for agricultural development [3,4]. The loss of land and livestock radically altered the Mapuche way of life; instead of being able to live off their land exclusively, many were forced to work as temporary or seasonal laborers [5].…”

Understanding Conditioning Factors for Hydroelectric Development in Chile: Bases for Community Acceptance

“…On occasion, the new complexity of the situation has produced important delays in original investment plans and has, in some cases, led to projects being abandoned [5][6][7]. This situation is evident throughout the national territory, but is especially relevant in the southern region of Chile, where hydroelectric potential tends to coincide with (i) natural areas that are highly valued locally, nationally, and internationally due to their landscape, biodiversity, and cultural value [28,29], and (ii) areas in which the interests of indigenous people and local communities are strongly represented [8,27,[30][31][32].…”

Interculturalidad en las intervenciones del Estado ¿Cuán lejos?, ¿cuán cerca? La urgencia de la praxis interseccional en el trabajo con familias Mapuches

“…Por ejemplo, para un caso particular, parte de la comunidad escolar se mostró claramente prejuiciada respecto de colaborar con los profesionales, aduciendo temor de la familia y la posibilidad de que incendiaran la escuela. Claramente la influencia de discursos mediáticos que representan al mundo mapuche como terrorista (Richards, 2013, Waldman, 2012 tienen influencia en las atribuciones de profesionales y refuerzan discursos que perpetúan prácticas discriminatorias.…”