Making (Un)Safe Territory in the Midst of Socio- Environmental Disasters: Territory Meanings and Emotions in Chañaral, Chile

Abstract

The inhabitants of Chañaral are part of a city immersed in a process of transformation of the land organization in a context determined by mining extractivism and socioenvironmental disasters. This article analyses the social meanings of the territory from the emotional dimension through narratives of attachment towards place and their political use, and identifies three main categories: insecure territory, epic history and its decadence, and sacrificed territory and community. The article also identifies how social actors have built a territorial demand based on “the right to remain in a safe territory” and “the right to make territory”.