Negotiating Neoliberal Multiculturalism: Mapuche Workers in the Chilean State

A central component of neoliberal multiculturalism in contemporary Latin America is an increase in indigenous individuals who work for the state, implementing indigenous policy at the municipal, regional and national levels. We explore the consequences of the inclusion of these individuals by analyzing the experiences of Mapuche state workers in Chile. We find that Mapuche workers possess a hybrid subjectivity that leads them to engage in both resistance and consent in their daily work lives. They use state resources strategically for what they feel is movement gain, and are often reflexive about the possibilities of cooptation. Nevertheless, they are often party to actions that are detrimental to the movement. The contradictions in Mapuche workers' actions indicate that the results of neoliberal multiculturalism may be more mixed than many scholars acknowledge. Our findings serve as a corrective on perspectives that attempt to understand neoliberal and multicultural policies without analyzing the roles of the individuals who occupy the state.