Place and Power in Downtown Asunción: The effects of intersecting power structures on La Chacarita and its residents
Author
Bouchrika, Wided
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2021
Pages
50
Abstract
La Chacarita is an informal settlement in Asunción, Paraguay, located by the Paraguay River. Each year, when the river floods, many residents temporarily move up to higher ground in the city center, surrounded by key institutions of state, security, education, church, and history. This thesis explores how physical place and social space shape one another in downtown Asunción, and it questions Michel de Certeau’s idea that places are fixed and that there is a stable hierarchy of who has agency. By examining broad power structures and how they appear in the small-scale politics of three specific events in the city center, the thesis argues that when power structures intersect, the usual hierarchy can flip. In these moments, residents from La Chacarita become the main disciplining force—that is, the ones who set the rules—and they shape both the place and the people involved, including state actors. This suggests that place itself can have empowering effects.
La Chacarita er en uformel bosættelse i Asunción, Paraguay, ved Paraguay-floden. Hvert år under oversvømmelserne flytter mange beboere midlertidigt op i bymidten, omgivet af centrale institutioner for stat, sikkerhed, uddannelse, kirke og historie. Afhandlingen undersøger, hvordan fysisk sted og socialt rum påvirker hinanden i det centrale Asunción, og udfordrer Michel de Certeaus idé om, at steder er faste, og at der findes et stabilt hierarki for, hvem der har handlekraft. Ved at analysere overordnede magtstrukturer og deres udtryk i de små magtspil omkring tre konkrete begivenheder i bymidten argumenterer afhandlingen for, at når magtstrukturer krydser hinanden, kan hierarkiet vende. I sådanne øjeblikke bliver beboere fra La Chacarita den vigtigste disciplinerende kraft – dvs. dem, der sætter spillereglerne – og de former både stedet og de involverede personer, herunder statslige aktører. Det peger på, at sted i sig selv kan have en styrkende effekt.
[This apstract has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]
Keywords
Asunción ; Paraguay ; De Certeau ; Place ; Space ; La Chacarita ; Systems of discipline ; Empowerment ; Visibility