The Mapuche in Modern Chile: A Cultural History

"A valuable and original work by its focus (cultural history), the scope of the period, and the cases examined (historiographical, anthropological, literary), which has not been done in Chile until now."--Andre Menard, University of Chile "Crow deciphers the significance of decolonial artistic, literary, and intellectual works defending indigenous identities in subtle ways often misunderstood in mainstream circles . . . and articulates a sensitive rendering of Mapuche cultural production in its full array of possibilities, despite intrinsic racism and a brutal denial of indigenous rights in their own country. This book is an interdisciplinary tour de force grappling with some of the most sensitive racial and ethnic politics of knowledge production and indigenous activism presently taking place in Latin America."--Arturo Arias, University of Texas at Austin The Mapuche are the most numerous, most vocal, and most politically involved indigenous people in modern Chile. Their ongoing struggles against oppression have led to increasing national and international visibility, but few books provide deep historical perspective on their engagement with contemporary political developments.Building on widespread scholarly debates about identity, history, and memory, Joanna Crow traces the complex, dynamic relationship between the Mapuche and the Chilean state from the military occupation of Mapuche territory during the second half of the nineteenth century through the present day. Crow examines a wide range of primary documents, including published literary and academic texts, Mapuche testimonies, art and music, newspapers, and parliamentary debates, in order to probe the lived experiences of Mapuche people in all their diversity, to lead the reader beyond the standard narrative of repression and resistance, and to reveal just how contested Mapuche and Chilean histories are. Joanna Crow is lecturer in Latin American Studies at the University of Bristol.