The Process of Nation-Building, Social Conflict and Democracy: The Case of Bagua and Conga

The subject of the paper comes from the interest in studying the impact of processes Nation Building in Democracy in Peru. Two critical junctures are analysed including, Bagua and Conga. Both cases highlight that social conflict is on-going and reflect gaps in Peruvian Society and limits of the Peruvian State. This has certain implications for the quality of democracy in Peru and in the context of Latin America more generally. In particular, these on-going social conflicts imply that the process of nation-building in Peru is unfinished. Ultimately, the paper addresses the process of Nation Building and its influence on democracy with respect to these social conflicts.