El Castillo: Territory, society and subjectivities of the awaiting

Abstract

During 2013, a qualitative research was conducted in the region of El Castillo, district of La Pintana, Santiago, Chile. This study was conceptually framed by the notions of Í€œwaitingÍ€ and Í€œwaiting territoriesÍ€. The district of La Pintana was created in 1981 within the framework of urban reforms of the military dictatorship, in order to relocate displaced groups. Í€œWaitingÍ€ is understood as a temporary situation that occurs when the displaced population is settled in a territory lacking in resources, without improvement over time, and where the socio-economic status of those living in it does not improve either. It follows as a conclusion that El Castillo is a waiting territory and a waiting society. This condition defines the place, the social identity and the spatial practices of its inhabitants. The form and content of waiting changes depending on the generation: for the youth, Í€œwaitingÍ€ is accompanied by hope and for adults and old people, Í€œwaitingÍ€ is a rather resigned or nostalgic conception.