Abstract

This article examines the territorial claims of the mapuche people regarding what they consider their ancestral space, Wallmapu, along with highlighting a geopolitical issue for the states of Argentina and Chile. Additionally, it introduces local, transnational, and international ideas and practices that problematise and allow reflection on central concepts and rules of the state-centred international order, such as territory, sovereignty, and borders. The work is situated in the critical debates of International Relations, through the significance of other actors, narratives, and dynamics marginalised in this field, such as indigenous peoples. In the case of the mapuche people, their conception of territory and the construction of Wallmapu extend beyond mere geographical space, encompassing both material and immaterial dimensions. These conceptions transcend state boundaries through political practices, relationship with nature, and evolving conceptualisations that increasingly challenge and differentiate from state-centric logic. This occurs despite the extensive historical and contemporary constraints they have faced. © 2025 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.