Introduction

Abstract

Latin American societies have long been multicultural in their composition, yet until recently ethnic difference did not feature explicitly in the region’s politics or legal and administrative arrangements. However, during the last decade of the twentieth century ethnicity became a key focus of political concern, as demands for reform of the state to accommodate indigenous peoples’ demands gathered pace. This development was prompted by three interrelated factors. The first of these was the emergence of indigenous political movements onto the national and international political stage during the 1980s and 1990s. The second was a developing international jurisprudence, which increasingly characterised the rights of indigenous peoples as human rights. The third factor of signal importance was the constitutional reform process that took place in many Latin American countries during the last 15 years of the century, and which recognised — at least in principle — the multicultural and multi-ethnic nature of those societies. Ethnic claims were propelled centre-stage, at least in part, by the radical changes in economic and social relations engendered by the twin processes of economic and legal globalisation. These ongoing transformations also provide the context within which the politico-juridical recognition of difference across the continent is taking place.