‘TIPNIS somos todos’: Siscourse of indigenousness within and beyond a national civil sphere

This paper explores the intersection of indigeneity, environmental conflicts, and global solidarities. Adopting a theoretical framework from the Strong Program of Cultural Sociology, this research examines how indigenous groups contesting environmental threats invoke a deep structure of discourse to cultivate solidarity beyond their communities at national and international levels. The TIPNIS (Territorio Ind?gena y Parque Nacional Isiboro-S?cure) conflict, where lowland Indigenous groups marched against a state-backed highway project, serves as a case study. Employing a hermeneutic approach, this study analyzes 160 op-eds and editorials from Bolivian newspapers, revealing how public discourse framed indigenous resistance within a collectivist, pro-environmental, and non-liberal moral structure. The findings contribute to understanding how the Indigenous Sphere interacts with and challenges frameworks of democracy and solidarity.