The middle classes and the subjective representation of urban space in Santiago de Chile

Title
The middle classes and the subjective representation of urban space in Santiago de Chile
AuthorLuis Fuentes, Oscar Mac-Clure
Line(s)Sociospatial Dynamics
Year of Publication2019
Journal TitleUrban Studies
Keywordsinequality, middle class, Santiago, spatial boundaries
AbstractThis article examines how symbolic representations of social-spatial differences help to maintain social stratification within Santiago de Chile. Several focus group discussions illuminated the approaches and resources used by the middle classes to build the boundaries that define them within the city. The way in which the middle class understands and describes the city of Santiago confirms that social position is linked to symbolic elements that are associated with occupied spaces within the city. Our analysis shows those elements that confer a particular identity upon a given territory and delimit spatial frontiers between territories.
Doihttps://doi.org/10.1177/0042098019881350
Corresponding AuthorLuis Fuentes lfuentes@uc.cl