On the sociology of disaster: analysis of the chilean dictatorship in the Metropolitan Area of Concepción

Abstract

This article analyzes the theory of catastrophes through socio-historical events that generate significant sociopolitical, economic and territorial transformations. It seeks to specify the notion of catastrophe from an interdisciplinary approach, considering contributions from sociology, social psychology, and urban studies. It addresses how catastrophe unfolded during the Chilean dictatorship; political violence; settlements eradication; and the neoliberal turn, modified everyday by long-term intersubjective relationships. These phenomena are analyzed from a regional perspective, which encompasses the territory of the Metropolitan Area of Concepción, located in the eighth region, whose historical singularities reveal the impact of the dictatorship. The study is qualitative, considering primary and secondary sources. The main contributions of the research are to incorporate the everyday dimension of catastrophe and its link to lived experiences. This allows for a greater understanding and precision of catastrophic phenomena in their various dimensions.