CHAITÉN: A HISTORY IN THE TERRITORY

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation was to elucidate the motivation and organizational practices which carried some of Chaitén inhabitants to articulate a resistance Socio-territorial Movement for the reconstruction of the former town, after the mandatory evacuation which they must undertook as a consequence of the volcanic eruption that took place in the area. With the theory of social-movements, territorial spaces and sense of belonging as framework an exploratory study was conducted in the way it allows to reconstruct the experience lived by the locals from may 2008 to october 2012. Respect the methodological strategies, this researched carried a qualitative approach through focalized indeep interviews to key members of the social-movement as well as press and media extracts about the catastrophe. A relevant issue that guides this research is the cultural component of the inhabitants of Chaitén -a distinctive aspect of this movement- which took the form of a strong of belonging to the land. This enhance the comprehension of the analysis categories which can be used for new social-movements with territorial demands. Given the high resilience of the Chaitén people in addition to their cultural identity which is related with the feeling of belonging, one can understand how they “rose the town from the ashes”.