El Castillo: Territory, society and subjectivity of waiting

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 “waiting” and “waiting territories”. 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. “Waiting” 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, “waiting” is accompanied by hope and for adults and old people, “waiting” is a rather resigned or nostalgic conception.