Neoliberal extractive multiculturalism in the hydroelectric issue in Mapuche territory. An analysis of the implementation of the indigenous consultation in Chile

Abstract

Conflicts over the installation of hydroelectric power plants in Mapuche territory have in-creasingly emerged over the last twenty years, and so have policies proposing to include indigenous peoples. In this article I explore how multiculturalism—as expressed in the implementation of indigenous consultation in hydroelectric projects in Mapuche territory— relates to changes in energy policy. I first propose a definition of what I have deemed ex-tractive neoliberal multiculturalism. I then provide an account of the hydroelectric issue in Mapuche territory, including the expansion of non-conventional renewable energies, NCRE. Finally, I analyze the implementation of indigenous consultation processes on hydroelectric projects in Mapuche territory by focusing on the dynamics of inclusion and exclusion. This article is based on my ongoing doctoral research, which seeks to analyze the place of the Mapuche Nation People in the political space in the context of conflicts over hydroelectricity. The methodology is based on an inductive qualitative approach that allows me to first observe social conflict and then identify specific phenomena asso-ciated with recognition politics.