Indigenous Rights and the Quest for Participatory Democracy in Latin America

Abstract

Democratic transition in the 1980s and 1990s ushered in Latin America’s basic constitutional reforms aimed at addressing the issues of indigenous peoples’ identity and their rights. Although the changes reflect the democratic aspirations and the consolidation of new rights to the hitherto excluded segments of society, they also seem to be a response to a variety of other pressures (both political and economic) currently felt throughout the region. Political and economic changes witnessed in the democratization process suggest the reconfiguration of the state in Latin America. It provides the context for the belated recognition of cultural pluralism and the ensuing balance between indigenous participation within the institutions of state on the one hand, and respect for the autonomy of indigenous institutions on the other. However, given that the constitutionally guaranteed collective rights are only instruments they cannot be substitutes for an inter-cultural dialogue. Therefore, the process of democratization needs to go beyond giving recognition to cultural and legal pluralism.

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