National Development and Indigenous Rights in Latin America : Analysis of the tensions produced with the Chilean State by the Mapuche demand for self-determination

Abstract

This paper explores the tensions generated in Chilean politics by Mapuche responses to the promotion of development and the protection of indigenous rights since the end of the military dictatorship in 1990. Working within the norm diffusion model, the present paper will analyze the concept “Indigenous Development” existing at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and its incorporation into government policy for the period 2008-2011, considering its interaction with the national political context. The first section analyzes the transformation of the United Nations position on indigenous peoples, then characterizes the notion of indigenous development and the norm diffusion model. We then analyze government reports to the United Nations’ Universal Periodic Review, International Labor Organization, and the United National Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues to identify the advances. We conclude with a discussion of the tensions present in Chile.