The Microphysics of Indigenous Land Dispossession During the 19th Century: The Case of Manuel Jesús Jiménez and the Capuchin Missionaries of Pelchuquín in Southern Chile

Abstract

This article analyses the case of the Catholic mission of Pelchuquín in southern Chile, founded in the mid-19^th century by the Capuchin missionaries as a project of the nation-state for the evangelisation and annexation of Indigenous territories. The research focuses on understanding the processes of colonisation and deterritorialisation of the Mapuche-Huilliche communities, through the microphysics of power, and the articulation of certain power devices by the social body and territory, which were providing the basis for various types of dispossessions of Indigenous communities.