Abstract

What does “good governance” mean for indigenous women? What are the main dimensions of analysis from the perspective of indigenous women? The search for good governance has become a challenge for Latin American states, especially in representing the interests of indigenous women. In nation-state contexts, governance models have been characterized by patriarchal forms of democracy, with indigenous women obliged to participate as members of a homogeneous nation. This highlights the importance of considering concepts such as power, hegemony or exclusion from decision-making spaces. From the Chilean case, this article proposes an analytical framework to analyze the tensions, values and proposals that arise from indigenous women’s perspective, showing the difficulties that arise in defining the principles of good governance in contexts of diversity. The main information is based on the application of in-depth interviews with 20 Mapuche indigenous women leaders, complemented by the responses provided by 925 Mapuche women who participated in the Special Mapuche CEP 87 Survey in 2022, along with press analysis and official documents. © 2024 Canadian Association for Latin American and Caribbean Studies.