Unpacking Ethno-tourism: "Development with Identity", Tourism and Mapuche Struggles in South-central Chile
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Date
2012
Authors
Krell Rivera, Ignacio
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Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
In Latin America, multicultural reforms came in the last three decades in response to regional indigenous empowerment that in turn coincided with processes of neoliberal re-democratization. In Chile, neoliberalization also meant for the indigenous Mapuche dramatic processes of indigenous proletarianization by de-territorialization and a new cycle of resistance and creative deployment of political, economic and cultural agencies bringing forth issues of sustainability, collective well-being, and democracy. Through qualitative methods, this thesis examines how multiple actors are shaping the landscapes of tourism development in south-central Chile. There, tourism practice and discourse in Mapuche rural communities reflect Mapuche responses to a recent phase of policies targeting them under the rubric of "Development with Identity". I demonstrate through three case studies how both these policies and tourism markets are being engaged by Mapuche ethno-entrepreneurial leaders, who at the same time advance agendas of Mapuche re-territorialization through novel re-articulations of livelihoods, place, and identities.
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Keywords
Development, Indigenous territories, Latin America, Mapuche, Sustainability, Tourism