From boundary to development: The trajectory of Indigenous alliances and disputes for addressing development issues in northern Chile

Abstract

This thesis provides an analysis of the trajectory of Indigenous organisations’ development goals in the border region of Arica y Parinacota, Chile. The convergence of development notions from the Indigenous Peoples on one side and the State on the other is generally viewed as a field of dispute and resistance. However, I argue that development processes in the borderland have led Indigenous people to draw their relationship with the State institutions into a collaborative space. The sovereignty over Arica y Parinacota was transferred from Peru to Chile in a process that started during the War of the Pacific (1879-1883) and ended with the Treaty of Lima (1929). Then, given its geopolitical importance, different governments took special measures to stimulate the local economy (1958-1976), strengthen border security (1973-1989) and grant administrative independence (2007). Meanwhile, in the 1990s, authorities translated the Indigenous Peoples’ development demands into an institutional framework. Throughout these periods, most Indigenous people in the borderland have acted strategically conforming to the law, as well as used their identities and cultural practices to build relationships with governments. To analyse the interactions of Indigenous people, the framework combines multiple theoretical lenses such as development theory, institutionalism and social constructivism. Through it, the thesis maintains that certain Indigenous groups recall the memory about local historical injustices and development projects to gain a dominant position. Thus, they empower or suppress voices from their peers in the political arena. This research contributes to Indigenous Studies by examining how progressive political agency of urban and trans-local Indigenous people reinforces unequal power relations, and to Development Studies by looking into how participatory policies allow marginalised social groups to create distinctive discourses, and thus to influence resource allocation.