Scientific Landscape Related to Mapuche Indigenous Peoples and Wallmapu Territory

Camila Bañales-Seguel, Wladimir Riquelme Maulén, Amaya Álvez and Evelyn Habit
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Camila Bañales-Seguel: Facultad de Ciencias Ambientales, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción 4070386, Región del Biobío, Chile
Wladimir Riquelme Maulén: Centro de Desarrollo Local, Campus Villarrica, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Villarrica 4930000, Región de La Araucanía, Chile
Amaya Álvez: Departamento de Derecho Público, Facultad de Ciencias Jurídicas y Sociales, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción 4070386, Región del Biobío, Chile
Evelyn Habit: Departamento de Sistemas Acuáticos, Facultad de Ciencias Ambientales, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción 4070386, Región del Biobío, Chile

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 19, 1-30

Abstract: Recent international recognition of indigenous peoples, their rights and contributions to solving current challenges has directed academic attention to the way research is conducted in relation to them, what topics are studied, by whom, and using which methodologies. The Mapuche are the most numerous indigenous peoples in South America and have ancestrally inhabited a territory denominated Wallmapu. This study undertook a comprehensive revision and meta-analysis of the scientific literature related to the Mapuche and Wallmapu. Through quantification and visualization of the scientific landscape, the goal was to enhance the understanding of the themes and patterns that have guided research in this field of study. We found 1611 documents in Web of Science and SciELO collections published between 1975 and 2020. Using CiteSpace software, we analyzed the main conceptual hotspots, identified central authors and pivotal works, among other aspects of the scientific knowledge domain. The main research themes found revolve around political and historical aspects of the relationship between Mapuche and the State; ethnobotanical research including plant properties and cultural knowledge transmission; and the indisputable connection between indigenous resistance and environmental depredation. We argue that valuing cultural diversity paves the road for reclaiming indigenous knowledge as a contribution to our understanding of the world.

Keywords: indigenous knowledge; Latin America; Chile; Argentina; mapping knowledge domain; bibliometric; indigenous movements; environmental defense (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:19:p:7895-:d:418438

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