The Imagined Indigenous Landscape: Programmatic Proposals by Indigenous Candidates to the Convention and the question of plurinationality in Chile

Abstract

Chile is experiencing a novel crafting of a new Constitution by a Constituent Convention fully elected by the people. This process incorporated reserved seats for indigenous people, which intensified the debate on the constitutional recognition of them as Chile is one of the few countries in Latin America with no recognition at the constitutional level. This article makes a systematic qualitative analysis of the programmatic platforms presented by all indigenous candidates toward this Constituent Convention. We were able to identify five different types of platforms suggesting that, even though most proposals are promoting a “plurinational” state, there are relevant differences among such documents. We argue that the concept of “plurinationalism” adopt different meanings and uses among indigenous actors, which is indicative of a highly controversial political concept that has not crystalized in a common and unified notion of what it means.