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Illegal Housing in Medellín: Autoconstruction and the Materiality of Hope.

Authors :
Moore, Adam
Eiró, Flávio
Koster, Martijn
Source :
Latin American Politics & Society. Nov2022, Vol. 64 Issue 4, p94-118. 25p.
Publication Year :
2022

Abstract

Drawing on ethnographic research in El Oasis, a highly precarious self-built settlement in Medellín, Colombia, this article examines the illegal practice of autoconstruction as a material expression of hope. It focuses on the multilayered, symbolic meaning of self-built housing, as it represents the pursuit of dignity, permanence, and agency—as opposed to poverty, uncertainty, and lack of agency—and an active and material form of hoping for a better future in the city. The state plays an ambiguous role in residents' perspectives, who conceive of it, simultaneously, as a threat to and a guarantor of their future in the city. This ambiguity becomes materialized in the physical form of residents' self-built housing, as residents either embrace or refrain from making improvements to their houses in response to shifting perceptions about the state's intentions regarding the future of the settlement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subjects

Subjects :
*HOUSING
*ETHNOLOGY research
*HOPE

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
1531426X
Volume :
64
Issue :
4
Database :
Academic Search Index
Journal :
Latin American Politics & Society
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
161117621
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1017/lap.2022.31