Estado, expansión capitalista y sujetos sociales en Atacama (1879-1928)

Abstract

In this paper we examine the process of territorial incorporation of the Bolivian province of Atacama by the Chilean State. We focus on the first 50 years of the Chilean occupation (1879-1928) and concentrate on two specific aspects: 1) the bureaucratic and political agendas that determined the ways local populations were dealt with; 2) the social and economical transformations and reconfigurations that occurred among local groups and more specifically among the indigenous societies. We also attempt to shed some new lights on the connections between the State and private capitals insofar as they greatly influenced the nature of the new strategies of occupation.