The history of José María Caro is similar to those of other historical communities located in the periurban area of Santiago labelled as critical neighborhoods because of violence and social conflicts. In this context, how is it possible that a critical neighborhood has led one of the most important social movements of the last decade. By analyzing the political process carried out by the Coordinadora de Pobladores José María Caro (2005-2007), this paper provides elements to understand this paradox, thus allowing a deeper insight into the so-called “community fragmentation” of these neighborhoods and the reconstruction of social movements 20 years after the end of the military regime. This research concludes that residents do not movilize to overcome shortcomings, but to retain what they have achieved over time. Poor people from past times have a new status in relation to the exclusionary neoliberal city, a space that makes them feel privileged of having something to fight for, but paradoxically turns them into vulnerable individuals. It is in this point when collective action is reconstructed.
Author Biography
Leslie Parraguez Sanchez, University of Loyola Chicago
Social Worker and MBA in Urban Development, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Doctorate student in sociology, University of Loyola, Chicago, sponsored by the Fulbright Program.
Parraguez Sanchez, L. (2012). The reconstruction of social movements within critical neighborhoods: the case of the “Coordinadora de Pobladores José María Caro”, Santiago, Chile. Revista INVI, 27(74), 217–246. Retrieved from https://revistas.uchile.cl/index.php/INVI/article/view/62429
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