Critical discourse analysis of a machi. A look at the inter and intragroup discourse in a domination context

Abstract

This work focuses on a machi discourse pronounced in a religious ceremony with the purpose of describing the inter and intragroup discourse within the mapuche culture, and the way interethnic relations operate between mapuches and chileans in a context of ethnic domination.

The analysis shows a high degree of anxiety and uncertainty in the intergroup discourse, whereas the intragroup discourse exhibits an ethnocentric attitude that reproduces and legitimizes the negative cognitions about the others. Furthermore, both inter and intragroup discourse practices contribute, paradoxically, to legitimize discriminatory discourse and practices of the dominant group.