The 14th of November 2018, the Chilean police shot the 24-year-old Mapuche activist Camilo Catrillanca in the municipality of Ercilla in the south of Chile. This incident received international media attention, but it is only one chapter in a long-lasting dispute over territory and autonomy between the indigenous Mapuche community and the Chilean state. Mapuche communities in Chile are demanding the restitution of territories, which were taken from their ancestors by the state. In order to defend and recover their land, some Mapuche organizations use arson attacks and land occupations. The Chilean government is responding with special operations units to ’control’ the conflict.
Author: Jakob Meer
Jakob Meer holds a B.A. in social and cultural anthropology and currently studies peace and conflict research at Frankfurt University. He was an intern to Dr. Francis O’Connor in the PRIF Research Program ‘Transnational Actors’ in January and February 2019. | Twitter: @jakobocean
