Archaeology and Indigenous communities: A comparative study of Argentinean and Brazilean legislation

Abstract

As part of a common process in almost all of South America, the return of democracy in the 1980s and 1990s came with important constitutional amendments and legal changes on issues that had been postponed for years, as in the case of indigenous people?s rights. The significance of this impact on the constitution and legislation derived in Argentina and Brazil are a valuable indicator of the way that official policies have changed in each country in the last decades. This research seeks to discuss indigenous participation in relation to cultural heritage in Argentina and Brazil from an analysis of the legislation in each country and how this engagement is reflected in ethnic standards and archaeological practice.