Indigenous Subsystems and Democratic State-Building in Guatemala

Date of Award

2003

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Tegtmeyer-Pak, Katherine

Keywords

Mayans, Democratization, Development

Area of Concentration

Political Science

Abstract

Political scientists overlook the fact that despite internal colonization and the massive social disruptions of a 36-year civil war, local governments in Guatemala coexist with semi-autonomous systems of indigenous governance. These 'subsystems' are rooted in a history of resistance to the state, and are based on culturally Mayan forms of law, authority and civil service. Given the fact that the 1996 Peace Accords mandate state recognition of indigenous cultural practices, these parallel subsystems present a challenge to the inconclusive process of democratic statebuilding in that the roles of the political game remain contested and uncertain. Through the analysis of ethnographic data, original field research and interviews with the K'iche' of Totonicapan and the Q'eqchi in Chisec, this thesis explores both the reasons for the open promotion of indigenous subsystems, and the effects these have on the consolidation of a participatory democracy in the Guatemalan state. In the end this study argues that indigenous subsystems need to be integrated into formal political processes, which, amongst other things, requires the fomentation of a larger 'communal psychology' or social cohesion between ethnic groups. This research is relevant beyond Guatemala, as many developing countries are multiethnic in nature and exhibit similar social and political dynamics albeit different cultural and historical contexts.

Rights

This bibliographic record is available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication. The New College of Florida, as creator of this bibliographic record, has waived all rights to it worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law.

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