(9)Indigenous Rights and Identity in Mining: The Politicization of Indigenous Identity in Communities in III and IV Regions of Chile

摘要

The proposed doctoral research project would examine indigenous identity, and how communities identifying as indigenous in mineral-rich areas of Northern Chile, organise themselves politically in response to proposed mining activities. With recent recognition of Chile's indigenous peoples, and a global framework of human rights employed to reconcile the historical injuries and political aims of indigenous minorities, what are the implications in Chile of emerging indigenous identities in respect to mining and development? The recent official inclusion of the Diaguita amongst the indigenous peoples of Chile (2006)permits access to a human rights-based framework grounded in international law by previously marginalised indigenous communities. ILO169, and the principles of participation, non-discrimination and consultation it upholds, carries the potential for greater inclusion of indigenous peoples in the decisions that affect their livelihoods, land and resources. Abstract universal rights however are not easily transposed to the particular. Blurred boundaries of membership within social movements and conflicting regulatory bodies create an uneasy negotiating platform for mining companies and indigenous social movements alike. This project seeks to better understand the consequences of a recent convergence of national legal recognition of indigeneity, with a global rights framework similarly constructed upon notions of identity formation and emerging social movements based on a politics of difference for peoples such as the Diaguita. How are laws and regulations applied and adapted in strategies of negotiation and contestation in practice, within an industry at the core of Chile?s long-term economic development? The study will aim to better understand the new political landscape and the influence of identity-based rights-grounded laws in articulating the claims of indigenous movements over natural resource extraction.