Andres Rivarola Puntigliano is Professor in Latin American Studies and Ariel Sribman is Ph.D. in Political Science. Both work at the Nordic Institute of Latin American Studies, at Stockholm University.

The issue of ‘plurinationalism’ became a dominating theme in Latin America in the early 21th century, in relation to the reformulation of constitutions and definitions of nationhood. During the 1980s, the concept became increasingly used among intellectuals and organizations dealing with indigenous movements, but it was in the first decade of the 21st century when the concept ‘plurinationalism’ became a central issue. That was fundamentally the case of countries such as Bolivia and Ecuador, that included the plurinational dimension the new constitutions of their states. The aim of our study is to explore the underlying reasons for the increasing popularity of this concept, as well as mapping out its sources of inspiration. Our main intention is to highlight and understand the main Latin American contributions in this area. In order to do so, our aim in this study is, first, to explore the origin of the term ‘plurinationalism’ and its use in other parts of the world, before it started to gain momentum in Latin America. Second, to analyze the origin and intellectual itinerary of the concept in Latin America. Third, a hypothesis addressed in this study is that there are older ideas and notions of plurinationalism in the region, that can be traced back to the early formations of the current Latin American states. Fourth, we will outline current views on plurinationalism, trying to unfold whether there are Latin American contributions to this conceptual framework.