Struggle for Indigenous Rights in Latin America

This book examines the struggle for indigenous rights in eight Latin American countries. Initial studies of indigenous movements celebrated the return of the Indians as relevant political actors, often approaching their struggles as expressions of a common, generic agenda. This collection moves the debate forward by acknowledging the extraordinary diversity among the movements' composition, goals, and strategies. The case studies examine the ways in which the Indian question arises in each country, with reference to the protagonism of indigenous movements in the context of the threats and opportunities posed by neoliberal policies. The complexities posed by the varying demographic weight of indigenous populations, the interrelation of class and ethnicity, and the interplay between indigenous and popular struggles are discussed. The volume concludes that the Indian struggles are having a direct impact on the character of democracy, and in the process contribute to the redefinition of Latin American societies as multicultural.

Nancy Postero is Assistant Professor in the Anthropology Department at the University of California, San Diego Leon Zamosc is Associate Professor of Sociology and Academic Director of Latin American Studies at the University of California, San Diego Gunther Dietz is Professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Granada (Spain) Edward F. Fischer is Associate Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Center for Latin American and Iberian Studies at Vanderbilt University Theodor Rathgeber is Associate Professor of Political and Applied Social Sciences at Kassel University (Germany) Maria Elena Garcia is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Sarah Lawrence College Jose Antonio Lucero is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Temple University Jonathan Warren is the Director of Latin American Studies in The Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington in Seattle