The subject of this book is extremely important for the future of Latin America. Democracy is apparently being consolidated in most of the countries of the area, although not democracy in its Western European or North American versions but in versions based on local conditions and traditions. Latin American democracies still tolerate levels of corruption, authoritarianism, and lack of pluralism closely related to socioeconomic gaps, marginalization, and violence that would be unimaginable in more advanced democracies, such as those of Western Europe. It is precisely for this reason that the general problem examined in this volume is important in Latin American and also in a more general context. The central issue here is whether the socioeconomic, political, and cultural models that countries adopt encourage inclusion of indigenous peoples or are based on a strong measure of exclusion. We have to take into consideration another set of factors related to transitions...

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