Can You See Us Now? Negotiating Indigenous Citizenship at a Road Blockade in Argentinean Chaco

ABSTRACT This paper explores the spatial dimension of Indigenous citizenship by examining how it is experienced, negotiated and enacted during a road blockade in the Argentinean Chaco. It investigates the ways in which citizenship is claimed and reshaped by analysing a road blockade as an ‘act of citizenship’. Drawing on fieldwork conducted between 2016 and 2018, including on‐the‐ground observations and interviews, the paper highlights the blockade as a critical site and moment for observing the dynamic framing and reframing of Indigenous citizenship in relation to shifting power relations. The analysis situates the blockade within broader debates about the political dimension of infrastructure and the way in which these can influence the shaping of Indigenous citizenship in South American frontiers. The Argentine context is particularly relevant due to the State's ongoing reluctance to fully recognise Indigenous difference and rights. Through a detailed account of the Provincial Road 54 blockade in Salta province, organised by Indigenous fishermen, the paper demonstrates how such mobilisations contribute to the ongoing redefinition of Indigenous citizenship. The findings underscore the importance of attending to local meanings and claims, rather than imposing external categories, in understanding the evolving relationship between Indigenous peoples and the state. More broadly, the paper highlights the importance of considering the spatial dimension in analysing the sociopolitical processes underway in Indigenous lands.