Public policies and Mapuche people: persistent challenges in the year of the pandemic

Abstract

The State of Chile has had a complex relationship with indigenous peoples, especially with the Mapuche people, derived from the Chilean nation-state model that has marked the indigenous peoples in participation and political debate spaces. Situations such as the pandemic caused by COVID19 and the constituent process show the limitations of this model. During 2020, public policies maintained the strategy of militarization in Mapuche areas or the police siege of Mapuche communities and women, the advance of a legislative agenda oriented to security in the Araucanía area, and the discussion around the seats reserved for Indigenous Peoples, among others. Here, we will analyze the contents and scope of the government agenda for the year 2020, highlighting relevant elements that stress the relationship between the State and Indigenous Peoples, but that can serve as a basis for introducing changes to decision-making processes if there is the political will to do so. The focus of the analysis will be placed on Mapuche People since they have been the ones who have had the most significant role in this agenda, as has happened in recent decades