The Movement for the Liberation of the People proposes a Plurinational State with territorial autonomies for the construction of good living. It does not propose pluriculturality. And the technical and political way to materialize this idea is the Plurinational Constituent Assembly process.
The concept of plurinationality means several nations (political communities) articulated around a common political project (State) that enables territorial autonomies of peoples or nationalities. Plurinationality is a juridical-political concept. Therefore, it necessarily implies the exercise of political rights. It requires the existence of several imagined political communities (nations) in search of a plural political project in common (Plurinational State).
Pluriculturality is a socio-anthropological concept. It means the recognition and encouragement only of cultural rights (clothing, languages, traditions, spirituality, etc.) within cultural groups or sub-groups. But not political rights (self-determination, self-government, territory, etc.).
Pluriculturality is nothing more than covert multiculturalism. And multiculturalism (under the argument of “tolerance”), in Guatemala, is nothing more than Creole monoculturalism which is a predator of peoples. With the idea of pluriculturality, it is technically impossible to build a Plurinational State. Canada, Spain, Ecuador know this from experience.
In simple words, while plurinationality implies the coexistence of several nations or political communities building a “we plural,” pluriculturality implies the existence of a full political subject (the one who monopolizes political power) and the subordination of other different cultural groups.
In plurinationality, peoples build the good life from and in their territories under the ethical principles of interculturality, solidarity and reciprocity. In multiculturalism, indigenous people are isolated in “resguardos” or anthropological reserves so that “these exotic species” do not disappear. A clear example is indigenous reservations in the United States.
The Movement for the Liberation of the People proposes a Plurinational State with territorial autonomies for the construction of good living. It does not propose pluriculturality. And the technical-political path to materialize this idea is the Plurinational Constituent Assembly process, which is how Thelma Cabrera and Vicenta Jerónimo, principal defenders and candidates of the MLP, repeatedly propose it.
Translation by Internationalist 360°
INTERNATIONALIST 360° 