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Spelman College

Publication Date

Spring 2023

Program Name

Chile: Cultural Identity, Social Justice, and Community Development

Abstract

The intent of this investigation is to identify the primary elements that have incited the emergence of the political movements of the Afro-descendants within Chile. Across the world people of darker hues, specifically those of African descent, face systemic discrimination and therefore oppression by the hands of states across the African Diaspora. Until 2019, Chile had not acknowledged the existence of Afro Chileans, their culture, nor their contributions to Chilean society. The intrinsic nature of racial discrimination in Chile alongside the lack of government recognition of the Afro Chilean identity has produced political movements within the country, most notably in the region of Arica and Parinacota. This study will specifically focus on encompassing why the Afro descendent movements of Arica, Chile and their fight for acknowledgement should be understood as a necessary force to achieve equity within the state of Chile. It will also focus on the characterization of the cultural and political elements that have been utilized and continue to be utilized in the progression and protection of the Afro Chilean.

The negation of the Afro-descendent identity in Chile has occurred on many fronts, from education, to the arts, and most notably in politics. This study will investigate how this widespread negation of the African descendent in Chile has affected people who presently reside in the Arica and Parinacota region and consider themselves as African descendants. The field experience documented in this paper will serve to prove that the discrimination against Afro-descendants is intergenerational and therefore systemic. The multidimensional nature of discrimination toward African descendants in the state has invoked a multidimensional response that aims to fortify the recent legal acknowledgement of their identity, while simultaneously educating and preserving their unique and vibrant culture. Thus, by establishing the main factors of causation for these political movements, this independent study will validate the continuation and longevity of such a movement.

Disciplines

Africana Studies | Latin American History | Latin American Studies | Race and Ethnicity | Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies | Social Justice

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