The emergency of ethnic citizenship: indigenous pueblos and democracy in Argentina

Abstract

This work of synthesis points to a panoramic vision of the Indigenous policies of different
Argentine national governments from the period after independence to the present. Diverse legal
and judicial institutional frameworks are analyzed in order to contribute a better understanding
of the relations among Indigenous societies, the government, and the greater Argentine society.
The second part of the article focuses on the period starting with the democratic transition
in 1983 during which indigenous political entities emerged, building up a discourse of demand
to create a genuine democracy, highlighting for the first time the multi-ethnic character of
the nation. This article analyzes the evolution of Indigenous groups, from being historically
underserved and subordinate, toward a new type of Indigenous citizenship.