Afro-descendants and the restoration of democracy in Uruguay: a new vision of citizenship?

ABSTRACT This paper traces the emergence and impacts of the ethnic/racial dimension in the process of reconstructing democracy in Uruguay. This ethnic/racial element has developed over the past decade, with close precedents set in the 1990s. Yet it has been largely overlooked by policymakers and ignored in the government planning of the different administrations. The year 2005 marked a point of inflexion from the point of view of the introduction of ethnic/racial, and specifically Afro considerations as part of the interests and commitments of the Uruguayan government. These commitments and interests were linked to a changing international scenario for the acknowledgment of indigenous and Afro-descendants’ rights, with both indigenous groups and Afro-descendants exercising pressure on Latin American governments to adopt important policies such as the recognition of multiculturalism and ethnic diversity in their constitutions. Since Uruguay has been part of this transformation, the ethnic/racial issue can no longer be excluded from governmental policy agendas. To highlight the processes and challenges involved, the author reviews documentary and scholarly sources and analyzes qualitative data from interviews with Uruguayan political representatives and civil society activists.