Indigenous Rights, Development, and State Multiculturalism in Panama

An international legal principle known as Free, Prior, and Informed Consultation and Consent (FPIC) ostensibly protects the right of Indigenous peoples to participate in decisions about development in their territories. However, activists and scholars have criticized FPIC for the ways in which it can be used by states to manage dissent and rights-wash contentious projects. Drawing on ethnographic research in Panama, where Ngäbe Indigenous communities have long fought to protect their land from copper mines, hydroelectric projects, and other forms of development, Marian Thorpe (Postdoctoral Research Associate and Lecturer in Latin American Studies, Princeton University) discusses the possibilities and pitfalls of FPIC and other forms of multicultural recognition for protecting Indigenous territories and advancing the cause of Indigenous self-determination.

Register here: https://princeton.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMkce-qrTMiGND9arDQbKSMxqRJGfpDg-q7