Natural Resource Control and Indigenous Rights in Bolivia’s Santa Cruz Department

In 2006, the Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) government led by Evo Morales took power in Bolivia. This government, supported by a pro-indigenous, anti-neoliberal electorate, has espoused indigenous rights and protections against neoliberal development in Bolivia’s national policies and Constitution. Through a case study of Bolivia’s Santa Cruz department, this paper examines Bolivia’s evolving state-social relationship and its increasingly divergent policies on economic development and indigenous rights. Santa Cruz’ marked presence of the transnational soy industry demonstrate the economic, social, and cultural rights challenges of a postneoliberal, pro-indigenous Bolivia. This research investigates the nexus between transnational agribusiness and the indigenous rights movement in the Bolivian context, and the social movement strategies and response to the MAS’ contradictory policies.