COVID-19 and Indigenous Communities in Latin America: A Comparative Analysis of State Public Policy Strategies in Mexico, Bolivia, and Colombia
| Autor | Ivy Alana Rieger |
| Cargo | Ph.D. in Anthropology, University of Colorado Boulder, United States. Adjunct Professor at Hartnell College, United States |
| Páginas | 36-55 |
36
COVID-19 and Indigenous Communities in Latin
America: A Comparative Analysis of State Public
Policy Strategies in Mexico, Bolivia, and Colombia
✽
Ivy Alana Rieger
Received: January 15, 2021 · Accepted: May 13, 2021 · Modified: July 2, 2021
hps://doi.org/10.7440/res78.2021.03
Abstract | The arrival and ongoing consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic during 2020
and 2021 have exacerbated issues related to processes such as globalization, transnational
migration, and socioeconomic, educational, and territorial marginalization experienced
by indigenous communities throughout Latin America. This article examines the
ways in which the State has managed the pandemic in indigenous communities by
analyzing individual case studies selected from three countries in the region (Mexico,
Bolivia, and Colombia) where 2% or more of the general population have been categorized
as “indigenous.” The article explores the relationship between the State and native
communities in order to understand the current sociopolitical dynamics throughout the
region and to examine whether general paerns emerge regarding the State’s ongoing
responses to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.
Keywords | Bolivia; Colombia; COVID-19; indigenous groups; Mexico; State policy
Un análisis comparativo de las políticas públicas frente a la COVID-19 en las
comunidades indígenas de México, Bolivia y Colombia
Resumen | Durante 2020 y 2021, la pandemia de la COVID-19 exacerbó situaciones
sociales que ya estaban presentes entre las comunidades indígenas de América Latina,
relacionadas con procesos como la globalización, la migración transnacional y la margi-
nación socioeconómica y educativa. Este artículo examina la manera como los distintos
Estados han manejado la pandemia en estas comunidades, a través del análisis de tres
casos de la región (México, Bolivia y Colombia), donde al menos el 2% de la población
se identifica como “indígena”. El artículo explora la relación entre las políticas públicas
implementadas en dichos grupos con el objetivo de entender las dinámicas sociopolí-
ticas actuales de la región, así como la posible existencia de estrategias comunes entre
los distintos Estados en la respuesta al coronavirus.
Palabras clave | Bolivia; Colombia; COVID-19; grupos indígenas; México; políticas
públicas del Estado
How to cite: Rieger, Ivy Alana. 2021. “COVID-19 and Indigenous Communities in Latin America: A
Comparative Analysis of State Public Policy Strategies in Mexico, Bolivia, and Colombia.” Revista de
Estudios Sociales 78: 36-55. hps://doi.org/10.7440/res78.2021.03
✽
This investigation arose from my previous experiences working with indigenous groups in Mexico and
Colombia and forms part of a new research focus on the continuing social, political, and economic effects
of COVID-19 in these and other native communities throughout Latin America. The information presented
in this article forms part of an independent study and was not institutionally funded.
37
DOSSIER
COVID-19 and Indigenous Communities in Latin America: A Comparative Analysis of State Public Policy Strategies in Mexico, Bolivia, and Colombia
Análise comparativa das políticas públicas ante a covid-19 nas comunidades
indígenas do México, da Bolívia e da Colômbia
Resumo | Durante 2020 e 2021, a pandemia ocasionada pela covid-19 intensificou
situações sociais que já estavam presentes entre as comunidades indígenas da América
Latina, relacionadas com processos como a globalização, a migração transnacional e
a marginalização socioeconômica e educacional. Neste artigo, analisa-se a maneira
como os diferentes Estados vêm conduzindo a pandemia nessas comunidades, por
meio da análise de três casos da região (México, Bolívia e Colômbia), em que pelo menos
2% da população é identificada como “indígena”. Além disso, explora-se a relação entre
as políticas públicas implementadas nesses grupos com o objetivo de entender as
dinâmicas sociopolíticas atuais da região, bem como a possível existência de estratégias
comuns entre os Estados na resposta ao coronavírus.
Palavras-chave | Bolívia; Colômbia; covid-19; grupos indígenas; México; políticas
públicas do Estado
Introduction
The arrival and ongoing consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic during 2020 and 2021
have exacerbated issues related to processes such as globalization, transnational migra-
tion, and socioeconomic, educational, and territorial marginalization experienced by
indigenous communities throughout Latin America. As a result, native populations
throughout the region have suffered disproportionately during this unprecedented global
health crisis due to various preexisting factors such as limited access to medical services,
the effects of extreme poverty, the absence of programs and funding by state governments,
and geographical isolation, among others. State responses to the pandemic raise important
questions concerning the contemporary state of affairs regarding national, regional, and
international policies that affect the lives of indigenous peoples throughout Latin America
on a daily basis, and that shape the ways in which the members of indigenous communities
imagine who they are and construct contemporary senses of belonging. What follows in
the coming months and years will determine the nature of the relationship between native
peoples and the State for decades to come.
This article examines the ways in which the State has managed the pandemic in indigenous
communities. It begins with a brief overview of some of the historical and contemporary
realities of the relationship between the Latin American State and indigenous communi-
ties. Here, I analyze several relevant aspects of Latin American colonial and postcolonial
history to argue for the importance of the theoretical concepts of territory and autonomy
to shed light on the current sociopolitical dynamics surrounding the State’s treatment of
the COVID-19 pandemic in indigenous communities. Next, I present individual case stud-
ies selected from three countries in the region (Mexico, Bolivia, and Colombia) where 2%
or more of the general population have been categorized as “indigenous” by different inter-
national governmental and non-governmental organizations (Davis-Castro 2020). This
section specifically explores the State’s particular strategies for combating the pandemic
and analyzes its interactions with indigenous communities. The methodology for the
selection and analysis of data included in this article was the result of qualitative archival
research of federal judicial documents and journalistic articles published online in and
about the countries in question, specifically regarding the State’s strategies for controlling
the pandemic as well as its vaccination programs. I then close the article with a discussion
of the ways in which the specific policies created and promoted by the State to combat the
COVID-19 pandemic have affected the lives and livelihoods of indigenous peoples in the
areas of study and what that may mean for the future of these groups when the pandemic
ends. Exploring the relationship between the State and native communities in these three
specific contexts provides a valuable analytical foundation based on which to understand
Para continuar leyendo
Solicita tu prueba
COPYRIGHT Universidad de los Andes (Colombia)
