From participation to social control: reflections based on the indigenous health conferences

Abstract

Even though the Federal Constitution of 1988 guarantees indigenous peoples the right to social policies, health care remains a field of tension in their relationship with the State. The need to ensure a participation guideline for the Brazilian National Health System and the inclusion of indigenous people in mechanisms of social control are widely defended. Thus, this article seeks to discuss the meanings of participation and reflect on the challenges of its configuration as social control within the scope of indigenous health. The analysis was based on health conference reports, bibliography related to the subject, and interviews with key actors. The research sought to shed light on the diversity of contexts, actors, and agendas involved in the five indigenous health conferences. We concluded that there was a shift in the conferences and their participation, which moved towards a more bureaucratic performance within the strict boundaries established by the government. Even so, it is essential to value the power contained in the mechanisms of social control, which not coincidentally are the objects of disputes brought forward by the most conservative groups in society. In this sense, it is necessary to value, occupy, and transform these spaces.