When the indigenous becomes present: indigenous resistances in the province of Catamarca (Argentina)

Abstract

This article aims to describe the processes of resistance and ethnic reorganization by Indigenous communities in the province of Catamarca (Argentina), particularly in the department of Santa María, south of the Calchaquí Valley, in contexts characterized by the dissemination of narratives of Indigenous extinction. To this end, it draws on different historical interpretations while reflecting on the hegemonic formation of otherness surrounding Indigenous identity in Catamarca. Within this framework, it analyzes the processes of Indigenous community reorganization and the identity redefinitions linked to them, focusing on the case of Diaguita communities and highlighting their correlation with demographic data, which show an increasing Indigenous presence in the region.