Fifteenth International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Abstract

Previous research has studied Indigenous politics in Latin America through the lens of strategic framing and identity promotion, noting that successful movements fostered a strong sense of collective identity that facilitated community building and political mobilization. The decline of the Indigenous protest cycle by the mid-2000s coincided with the adoption of digital technologies as part of the tactical repertoires of social movements in the Global North. While the use of various technologies by Indigenous peoples for cultural promotion has been well documented, much of the research involves single case studies and does not engage with the political consequences of the shift to online protest and activism. If personalized action is replacing collective identity and globalized worldviews are re-shaping local culture, as many authors claim, what does this mean for the ability of Indigenous communities to maintain the strong sense of identity that sustained their movements in the late 20th century? This study fills some of the gaps in our knowledge by looking at how Indigenous organizations in Ecuador, Bolivia, and Chile are using digital technologies for identity and cultural promotion, community building, and mobilization. The comparative aspect of our study (across three different jurisdictions and various sub-regions) allows us to examine the contextual factors that enhance or diminish the ability of organizations to use digital technologies to pursue these goals. Drawing on a community-based participatory approach, we conducted over 100 semi-structured interviews with Indigenous leaders, activists and communications specialists in the three countries from June 2016 to February 2019.