Contested Nation: The Mapuche, Bandits, and State Formation in Nineteenth-Century Chile

By: Pilar M. Herr

Sign Up Now! Already a Member? Log In
You must be logged into Bookshare to access this title. Learn about membership options, or view our freely available titles.

Synopsis: Throughout the colonial period the Spanish crown made numerous unsuccessful attempts to conquer Araucanía, Chile&’s southern borderlands region. Contested Nation argues that with Chilean independence, Araucanía—because of its status as a separate nation-state—became essential to the territorial integrity of the new Chilean Republic. This book studies how Araucanía&’s indigenous inhabitants, the Mapuche, played a central role in the new Chilean state&’s pursuit of an expansionist policy that simultaneously exalted indigenous bravery while relegating the Mapuche to second-class citizenship. It also examines other subaltern groups, particularly bandits, who challenged the nation-state&’s monopoly on force and were thus regarded as criminals and enemies unfit for citizenship in Chilean society.Pilar M. Herr&’s work advances our understanding of early state formation in Chile by viewing this process through the lens of Chilean-Mapuche relations. She provides a thorough historical context and suggests that Araucanía was central to the process of post-independence nation building and territorial expansion in Chile.