Two paradoxes of Colombian multiculturalism: the spatialization of indigenous difference and its political isolation

• Published in: Revista colombiana de antropología Vol. 47; no. 2; pp. 97 - 122
• Main Author: Bocarejo, Diana
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Spanish
• Published: 01.07.2011
• Subjects: Colombia; Cultural policy; Difference; Indigenous populations; Multiculturalism; Peasants; Political culture; Social action; Spatial models
• ISSN: 0486-6525

ABSTRACT IN SPANISH: La práctica del multiculturalismo en Colombia se ejerce en el contexto de complejas disputas y reclamos provenientes de diferentes actores sociales, beneficiarios o no de derechos diferenciales. En este artículo se estudian dos paradojas de los arreglos políticos del multiculturalismo en Colombia, relacionadas con la forma como se espacializa la diferencia indígena; y con ellas, se examinan sus implicaciones políticas. La primera paradoja es la forma como se juzga quién es o no un sujeto indígena legal, utilizando como una de las características predominantes el que un indígenas viva en "su" resguardo rural. La segunda paradoja es el aislamiento político que se ha configurado entre indígenas y campesinos. De esta forma, se pretende demostrar la relevancia de estudiar no solo las políticas culturales, sino también la cultura política que posibilita y construye el multiculturalismo. // ABSTRACT IN ENGLISH: The practice of multiculturalism in Colombia is exercised within complex disputes and claims arising among many social actors, beneficiaries or not of differential rights. This article addresses two paradoxes of the political arrangements of multiculturalism in Colombia related to the spatialization of indigenous difference and its political implications. The first one refers to the way in which a legal indigenous subject is shaped, using the fact that an indigenous person lives in 'his/her' rural reservation as one of the main features. The second paradox is the political isolation that has taken shape between indigenous peoples and peasants. In this way, I try to prove the importance of studying not only the cultural policies, but also the political culture which enables and builds multiculturalism. Reprinted by permission of the publisher