Land and Dignity in Paraguay

Land and Dignity in Paraguay analyzes the sociopolitical mobilization around land rights of the indigenous communities in this country. Throughout Paraguay, indigenous communities have seen their lands sold to private agriculture business, in addition to being subjected to arrests, intimidation, and torture. Since the fall of Stroessner's dictatorship in 1989, these communities have been organizing to oppose neoliberal policies, especially that of land privatization. Such mobilization nearly always coalesces around an organizing frame, and the prominence of dignity in the framing of the Paraguayan movement is clear. Drawing on media coverage and extensive interviews with indigenous leaders, civil society leaders, and government officials, the book argues that active social mobilization developed around the dignity frame and concludes by looking at the implications for conflict resolution processes and for Paraguay's new democracy.

List of AbbreviationsTimeline of Major Events Map of ParaguayChapter 1: Introduction  Chapter 2: Theoretical Building Blocks:  Conflict Resolution and Social MovementsChapter 3: An Historical View of the Indigenous Rights Movement in ParaguayChapter 4: Dignity Throughout Latin America Chapter 5: The Indigenous Communities Under StroessnerChapter 6: Indigenous Communities and Dignity in the Post-Stroessner EraChapter 7: Land Policy and Practice Since StroessnerChapter 8: Dynamics and Partnerships of the Movement for DignityChapter 9: Implications for the Field of Conflict ResolutionReferences