AbstractsSociology

This is a study of the practices of place-making and the power of place attachment. The aim of the thesis is to understand how place attachments are formed and reinforced in the city of Valparaíso, Chile. The thesis explores the themes of memory, participation, and community resilience from the perspective of identification with a place. It examines the neighborhood life of the inhabitants of Valparaíso, the neighborhood organizations and their activities, and the community response to a devastating fire in the city. The data was gathered during a three-month-long fieldwork period in Valparaíso. The ethnographic methodology consisted of participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and everyday discussions with informants. The data gathered consists of field notes, photographs, transcribed interviews, and media contents. The key informants were inhabitants of four different neighborhoods in Valparaíso. They were members of the neighborhood organizations or active neighbors, who were interested in contributing to the reinforcement of the community. Chile’s history of political repression is a significant factor in the low participation rate of the neighbors today. The military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet in the years 1973–1990 destroyed the trust between the neighbors and demolished the structures of civic engagement. The transition to democracy has been slow in the post-dictatorship Chile, and the consequences of the repression can still be perceived in the society today. It is, however, important to remember the trauma in order to not repeat it. Urban landscapes are important markers of social history, and thus significant contributors to place memory and place attachment. The historical significance of Valparaíso as a port city has been acknowledged by designating it a UNESCO World Heritage site, but the preservation of the public landscape in the city is threatened. The main argument of this thesis is that the attachment of the people of Valparaíso to their city is particularly strong, and suggests that this identification should be harnessed to promote community activism by practices of place-making. The traditional neighbors’ council does not appeal to the neighbors as a channel of participation. However, some of the organizations studied are implementing the place-making practices, and thus attempting to engage the neighbors. Situating the problems as well as the solutions to a local scale is essential for motivating the people to participate. The impressive potential of the urban communities of Valparaíso was revealed in the first stages of fire recovery, and the mobilization of the citizens was further stimulated by the common opposition to the government. Tämä tutkielma käsittelee paikan luomisen käytäntöjä sekä paikkaan kiintymisen merkitystä Valparaísossa, Chilessä. Tutkielman tarkoituksena on tarkastella kuinka kiintymys paikkaan muodostuu ja kuinka sitä toisaalta voimistetaan. Työssä käsitellään muistin ja osallistumisen teemoja sekä yhteisöllisyyden voimaa paikan käsitteen…