Perceptions of Democracy in Guatemala: An Ethnic Divide?(Report‪)‬

A new and important feature in Latin American third-wave democracies has been the emergence of ethnic politics. Previously excluded indigenous groups throughout the region have shown renovated strength and will to participate in the political life of their counties and have a say in the democratic decision-making process. Political science scholars have fairly recently started to address this new phenomenon. The analyses so far have placed emphasis on the development of indigenous movements as they turn into political parties, especially in South America (Rice and Van Cott 2006; Madrid 2007; Yashar 2005). Few studies have focused, however, on individual-level behaviour or particularly on the comparison of the political culture between indigenous and non-indigenous populations. Research on Latin American political culture has instead emphasized comparisons between countries as units of analysis (Booth and Seligson 1993a; Ai Camp 2001; Lagos Cruz-Coke 2001) rather than on the differences that may exist within a country among diverse ethnic groups. This article concentrates specifically on comparisons of the democratic values and political behaviour of indigenous and non-indigenous Guatemalans (also called Ladinos), trying to determine whether or not there is an ethnic divide in the perceptions and support for democracy between these two groups. Using survey data and inferential statistical analysis, it explores the links between ethnicity and political culture. (1)