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Contested Nation: The Mapuche, Bandits, and State Formation in Nineteenth-Century Chile
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.
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.
168 pages, Hardcover
Published December 1, 2019
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 28, 2024
Excerpt from a response sheet I had to fill out for my Modern Latin American History course at Randolph-Macon College:
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I found Herr’s book to be readable and persuasive. Her argument that “Araucanía, its Mapuche inhabitants, and bandits were central to the process of state formation in Chile” (Herr 2) rings true, thanks to her excellent martialing of historical material to prove her point. The sections surrounding the Pincheiras were strong, and effectively illustrated just how much of a threat the montonera was perceived to be. The discussion of the Mapuche is also strong, and I was particularly helped by the exploration of parlamentos and their sometimes differing significance to Spain, the Mapuche, and the Chilean state. The organization made understanding the content very easy. A slight stylistic criticism is that there were a number of dropped quotations.
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I found Herr’s book to be readable and persuasive. Her argument that “Araucanía, its Mapuche inhabitants, and bandits were central to the process of state formation in Chile” (Herr 2) rings true, thanks to her excellent martialing of historical material to prove her point. The sections surrounding the Pincheiras were strong, and effectively illustrated just how much of a threat the montonera was perceived to be. The discussion of the Mapuche is also strong, and I was particularly helped by the exploration of parlamentos and their sometimes differing significance to Spain, the Mapuche, and the Chilean state. The organization made understanding the content very easy. A slight stylistic criticism is that there were a number of dropped quotations.
Displaying 1 of 1 review