The Last Steps in the Long Process of Autonomy for the Indigenous Peoples of the Peruvian Amazon

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to review the latest developments on the long road to autonomy for the Indigenous peoples of the Peruvian Amazon. The indigenous autonomy movement in the Amazon seeks greater capacity for self-organization, based on the right to self-determination. In Peru, the state, which has historically opposed to these aspirations, seeks to maintain the status quo by relegating Indigenous peoples through regulations that seek their subordination. The state’s division of ancestral territories allows for the invasion of settlers and the granting of concessions to companies, threatening sociocultural integrity. Although Indigenous organizations have succeeded in some matters, the lack of legal recognition and administrative fragmentation hamper their cohesion. Indigenous autonomy does not seek the country’s division, but self-government based on self-determination, which faces legal and political challenges. State recognition of these indigenous initiatives is crucial to overcoming barriers and moving towards plurinationality.