Deborah Yashar analyzes the contemporary and uneven emergence of Latin American indigenous movements—addressing both why indigenous identities have become politically salient in the contemporary period and why they have translated into significant political organizations in some places and not others. She argues that ethnic politics can best be explained through a comparative historical approach that analyzes three factors: changing citizenship regimes, social networks, and political associational space—providing insight into the fragility and unevenness of Latin America's third wave democracies.