El sentir frente a la estigmatización territorial. Travesías de topofilia en el Sur de Quito

Abstract

Quito, the capital of Ecuador, is characterized by an urban order with a strong fantasy component in which the so-called 'South' is imagined as a subaltern space in relation to the 'North', generating stigmatizing effects. Based on the fact that the fictional condition has concrete repercussions in the construction of a sense of bonding, belonging and attachment to the inhabited space, this paper focuses on showing the emotions and feelings resulting from a situation of segregation with an important imaginary component. These tensions can be synthesized in two aspects. First, the emotions of discomfort and anger resulting from humiliation, which gives rise to the emergence of disputes to demystify injurious prejudices towards the 'South'. Second, the feelings of withdrawal which, under certain circumstances, deny or disguise the place of residence to avoid social discredit. © 2017, Universidad de Chile, Instituto de la Vivienda. All rights reserved.