The identity configuration of the urban mapuche in Chile: self reflections

Abstract

This work reflects about the experience undergone by the mapuche people in the urban context. It is claimed that this change in their individual situation modifies their ancestral identity. To carry out this analysis, interviews to different mapuches, in which they retell their life stories, were selected from the web and examined through the structural analysis. This analysis shows the need of the mapuche people to establish social and work bonds in order to improve the precarious economic situation offered by the rural sector. In this context, the mapuchepeople “faces” a journey to the Chilean world where the Spanish language and the school play a fundamental role in their process to become a Chilean. As a result, it can be observed that there is another mapuche identity consisting in an urban mapuche who, although identified with his roots, language and customs, has adapted to the new demands of modern life, thus constituting new communities.