Conflict and Exploitation in the Land of the Mapuche

Conflict and Exploitation in the Land of the Mapuche

Presenter(s)

Diana Paola Bencomo Miralles, Allison Elizabeth Bertke, Javier Castillo, David M. Speth

Comments

Presentation: 1:15-2:30, Kennedy Union Ballroom

Description

Our poster presentation is focused on the Mapuche People in Chile. This indigenous group has constantly clashed with the Chilean government over land sovereignty. Successive governments have taken land from the indigenous population to convert into pine plantations owned by forest and timber companies. In return, Mapuche activists have resorted to violent protests demanding the return of their ancestral land. They have occupied the plantations, torched forests and farmhouses, and destroyed forestry equipment and trucks. Clashes with police have left several Mapuches dead and dozens have been detained and imprisoned under an anti-terrorist law that dates from the military dictatorship of Pinochet. The loss of Mapuche territory is taking a heavy toll on the community as there is a detrimental effect on their health, while it threatens farming livelihoods and the Mapuche traditional way of life. This loss of territory also has an effect on the environment as deforestation, land degradation, and pollution all occur.

Publication Date

4-17-2024

Project Designation

Course Project - SPN 387 01

Primary Advisor

Francisco J. Penas-Bermejo

Primary Advisor's Department

Global Languages and Cultures

Keywords

Stander Symposium, College of Arts and Sciences

Institutional Learning Goals

Critical Evaluation of Our Times; Diversity; Traditions

Conflict and Exploitation in the Land of the Mapuche

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