¿Consideran los magallánicos que su cultura posee una esencia única?: Estudio descriptivo de la aplicación de un instrumento de evaluación de esencialismo cultural a una muestra puntarenense

Abstract

This research aimed to make a description of the presence of beliefs associated with psychological essentialism in the characteristics' perception of the Magellan's culture. The sample consisted of two hundred habitants of the city of Punta Arenas who were provided voluntarily to participate in the study. We used a non-experimental descriptive design. A brief questionnaire was used to measure cultural essentialism. The results indicate that a high percentage of participants have essentialist beliefs about the Magellan's identity. Some ideas that illustrate this result are the high adherence to assertions regarding Magellan's identity is hereditary, is part of the depths part of identity and must be protected from other cultures. Some of its implications for inter-group relations and prospects for future research are discussed.