Territorial stigmatization as a form of neighborhood violence. the case of El Castillo

Authors

  • Catalina Andrea Cornejo Universidad de Barcelona.

Abstract

In the academic field, violence is seen as a problem related to crime within a city context, disregarding other forms of violence such as symbolic violence. This type of disorder is embodied in the configuration of territorial stigmas when applied to the understanding of neighborhood realities in Santiago; these stigmas are collective deteriorated identities that predominate in neighborhoods regarded as pockets of crime and poverty. In this context, the purpose of this research is to identify the territorial stigma as a type of symbolic violence through the perceptions of dwellers of a stigmatized area of Santiago de Chile, more precisely, El Castillo, located in the borough of La Pintana. This paper is the result of a qualitative exploratory study based on 20 semi-structured interviews. The main outcomes of this research are the awareness of dwellers about the stigma created around them because of living in a specific neighborhood on one hand and the fight against this stigma by creating a new territorial identity on the other.

Author Biography

Catalina Andrea Cornejo, Universidad de Barcelona.

Social Anthropologist, Universidad de Chile. MA Student in Territorial Planning and Environmental Management, Universidad de Barcelona.