Volume LII – Number 2
Abstract: The Mapuche, an indigenous population that currently resides in Chile and Argentina, have faced historical animosity from the Chilean state. Land grabs from the state have pushed the Mapuche off their ancestral lands and led to strains of violence from the terrorist groups CAM and RAM in attempt to reclaim land. This article examines both the history of the conflict and contemporary media coverage, which it reframes to show how the violence perpetrated by CAM and RAM were a response to historical and ongoing injustice and violence from the state. Neoliberal multiculturalism, institutional racism, Donna Haraway’s “God Trick,” industrial-state relations, media bias, and extractivism have all led to the economic and social debilitation of the Mapuche and current policy solutions have been ineffective. Co-management solutions may increase Mapuche autonomy in land reclamation. However, to make necessary policy changes, international coalition building and non-violent tactics of “blockadia” may be the key to garnering necessary international support and ultimately altering worldviews, placing a greater global value on justice for the Mapuche and other marginalized populations
Keywords: Environmental Justice, Mapuche, Global, Indigenous, Policy, Chile
About the Author: Jack Herscowitz is a Junior at Middlebury College majoring in Environmental Policy and Music. He is interested in the study of indigenous rights and justice as they pertain to the environment. He hopes to attend graduate school to further explore these issues and conduct ethnographic research.
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