All over the world many indigenous communities leave their lands and move to the cities in order to conduct a new life. At the same time, these communities find themselves in a very vulnerable...Show moreAll over the world many indigenous communities leave their lands and move to the cities in order to conduct a new life. At the same time, these communities find themselves in a very vulnerable position, considering that they often face discrimination and struggle to fully adapt to their new environments. This research focuses on the case study of Chile and of the Mapuche community in particular. For historical and economic reasons, many Mapuche had to migrate to Santiago and other cities and as for 2002, two thirds of the whole Mapuche community lived in the city. Through the analysis of David Añiñir's collection of poems and the website of the political and social organization Meli WIxan Mapu, both residing in Santiago but of Mapuche heritage, this thesis argues that there is still a strong attachment to the indigenous community. The analysis is embedded within the theoretical framework of ethno-symbolism, an approach on identity developed by British sociologist Anthony Smith. The analysis sheds light on how ethno-symbolism contributes to a deeper understanding of how the Mapuche people living in the city relate to their identity.Show less
The Mapuche are the largest indigenous community in Chile and they speak their own language, Mapudungun. Unfortunately, over the course of history, the Mapuche have experienced many hardships,...Show moreThe Mapuche are the largest indigenous community in Chile and they speak their own language, Mapudungun. Unfortunately, over the course of history, the Mapuche have experienced many hardships, especially in relation to the Chilean state. One of these hardships is the gradual loss of their language in favour of Spanish. This development can be seen through the fact that younger generations stop to speak the language and that Spanish is taking over the traditional use of Mapudungun in family affairs and ceremonial situations. Therefore, and in order to compensate for the historical debt that the Chilean state has with the Mapuche, the government implemented a Bilingual Intercultural Education Programme in 1996. Additionally, this is a good example of a method of revitalisation, which could help reverse the existing language shift. However, the programme in its current state has a lot of deficiencies, making it unsuccessful in achieving its objective. Consequently, this thesis will argue for the improvement of the programme, in order to increase its contribution in revitalising Mapudungun and to prevent the possible extinction of the language. The previous is important in the scope of the demands for rights of self-determination for which the Mapuche have struggled throughout history.Show less
