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Citation: 85 Soc. F. 1319 2006-2007

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Negotiating Neoliberal Multiculturalism:

Mapuche Workers in the Chilean State
Yun-Joo Park, Cleveland State University
Patricia Richards, University of Georgia
A central component of neoliberal multiculturalism in contemporary
Latin America is an increase in indigenous individuals who work for
the state, implementing indigenous policy at the municipal, regional
and national levels. We explore the consequences of the inclusion
of these individuals by analyzing the experiences of Mapuche state
workers in Chile. We find that Mapuche workers possess a hybrid
subjectivity that leads them to engage in both resistance and consent
in their daily work lives. They use state resources strategicallyfor what
theyfeel is movement gain, and are often reflexive about the possibilities
of cooptation. Nevertheless, they are often party to actions that are
detrimental to the movement. The contradictionsin Mapuche workers'
actions indicate that the results of neoliberal multiculturalism may be
more mixed than many scholars acknowledge. Ourfindings serve as a
corrective on perspectives that attempt to understand neoliberal and
multicultural policies without analyzing the roles of the individuals
who occupy the state.
Over the past two decades, Latin American nations once ruled by authoritarian
regimes have undergone democratic transitions. At the behest of international
financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and the World
Bank, these transitions have commonly been coupled with neoliberal reform
characterized by an export-based economic strategy, opening of the economy
to international investment, elimination of trade barriers, privatization of state
industries, devaluation of currency and the replacement of universal social services
with programs targeting particularly needy sectors (Portes 1997). The reduction
in social services compels non-governmental and community organizations
to assume responsibilities once shouldered by the state (Roberts and Portes
2006; Vilas 1996). Actors in civil society are thus expected to participate in the
democratic process through service delivery rather than by making demands on
the state, leading some to refer to the new democracies in Latin America as
partial or "low intensity" (Gills, Rocamora and Wilson 1993).
Contrary to the negative impact of neoliberalism on many social movements
and organizations, the vitality of indigenous movements, as well as the willingness
of Latin American states to address indigenous rights, has expanded under
Authors contributed equally to the development of this article and wish to thank Bryan
Roberts, Susan Franceschet,Susan Mannon, Linda Renzulli and the Social Forces reviewers
for their valuable comments on previous drafts. Park is a visiting assistantprofessor of
sociology at Cleveland State University. Richards is assistantprofessor of sociology and
women's studies at the University of Georgia.Direct correspondence to PatriciaRichards,
University of Georgia,Departmentof Sociology, Baldwin Hall, Athens, GA 30602. E-mail:
plr333@uga.edu.
DThe University of North Carolina Press

Soclal Forces. Volume 85, Number 3, March 2007