Socio-Legal Struggles for Indigenous Self-Determination in Latin America: Reimagining the Nation, Reinventing the State

This book explores the tensions between indigenous peoples' territorial rights and the governance of extractive industries in Latin America, comparing the struggles in Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru. It argues that indigenous territorial defenses against extractive industries articulate a politics of self-determination that challenges coloniality and proposes a radical re-imagination of politics, development, and constitutional arrangements.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 152 pages
Publication date: 17 May 2021
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This book is a groundbreaking interdisciplinary exploration of the struggles for indigenous self-determination and the recognition of indigenous territorial rights in Latin America. While previous studies have tended to focus on the economic, political, or social aspects of these conflicts, this book offers a comprehensive and holistic understanding of the complex tensions between indigenous peoples' territorial rights and the governance of extractive industries and related state developmental policies.

Through a detailed analysis of the contentious processes driven by indigenous peoples to implement plurinationality against extractive projects and pro-extractive policies, the book compares the struggles for territorial rights in Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru. At its core, the book argues that indigenous territorial defenses against the extractive industries articulate a politics of self-determination that challenges coloniality as the foundation of the nation-state.

The resource governance of the nation-state assumes that indigenous peoples must be integrated or assimilated within multicultural arrangements as ethnic minorities with proprietary entitlements, in order to participate in the benefits of development. However, as the struggle for indigenous self-determination in Latin America maintains that indigenous peoples must not be considered as ethnic communities with property rights, but as nations with territorial rights, this book offers a radical re-imagination of politics, development, and constitutional arrangements.

Drawing on extensive case studies, this multidisciplinary account of indigenous movements in Latin America will appeal to scholars and practitioners with interests in politics, law, sociology, and development studies. It provides valuable insights into the complex dynamics and challenges faced by indigenous communities in the region, and offers a roadmap for promoting greater recognition and respect for their territorial rights.

Weight: 256g
Dimension: 159 x 243 x 16 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367774325