Exiled From Their Own Lands: Indigenist Policies, Oil, and Colonial Plunder in 20th Century Venezuela

ABSTRACT This article examines the historical displacement of Indigenous peoples in Venezuela, focusing on the links between indigenist policies and the exploitation of natural resources, particularly oil, throughout the 20th century. Using a combined historical and ethnographic approach, it demonstrates how the formation of the Venezuelan nation‐state involved expanding physical, economic, ethnic, and moral boundaries, shaping both the country's landscape and its sociocultural and political relations. While oil fueled economic growth, Indigenous communities were marginalized due to territorial expropriation and state‐led integration and assimilation initiatives. By tracing the actions of successive governments and the persistent presence of military and missionary groups, the study explores the intersections of capitalism, imperialism, and colonialism in nation‐building, showing how power dynamics conditioned who would be included in the projects of modernity and who would be excluded.