Indigenist policy in territorial matters (Formosa, Argentina)

Abstract

This article uses a socio-anthropological perspective to examine the indigenous claims and the Argentine Nation-State’s acknowledgments of territorial matters since the return of democracy in 1983. In particular, it analyzes the titling of 33 290 hectares by the pilagá, indigenous people from the center of the province of Formosa (Argentina), and various factors that influenced this process. The analysis is undertaken in terms of the components of effective historical processes rather than in terms of legal formalism. This approach makes it possible to analyze the scope and limitations of this recognition for indigenous peoples.