The Production of Empty Space and Deserts in the South-Central Andean Highlands

Mónica Meza Aliaga (), Manuel Prieto, Paulina Rodríguez Díaz and Michel Meza Aliaga
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Mónica Meza Aliaga: Departamento de Ciencias Históricas y Geográficas, Universidad de Tarapacá, Av. 18 de Septiembre 2222, Arica 1010069, Chile
Manuel Prieto: Departamento de Ciencias Históricas y Geográficas, Universidad de Tarapacá, Av. 18 de Septiembre 2222, Arica 1010069, Chile
Paulina Rodríguez Díaz: Instituto de Geografía, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Vicuña Mackenna 4860, Santiago 7820436, Chile
Michel Meza Aliaga: Centro de Estudios Culturales Latinoamericanos (CECLA), Facultad de Filosofía y Humanidades, Universidad de Chile, Av. Capitán Ignacio Carrera Pinto 1025, Santiago 7800284, Chile

Land, 2023, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-19

Abstract: Imaginaries serve as the foundational framework shaping representations and influencing societal perspectives, subsequently guiding specific practices. Within the realm of geographical imaginaries, this article adopted a geohistorical perspective, using periodicals, secondary sources, and contemporary digital media to shed light on the geography of the highlands of northern Chile. Our objective was to emphasize the representations that have discouraged the occupation of these mountainous regions. Our findings revealed the emergence of a geographic imaginary that attributes desert-like qualities to the entire northern region of Chile, extending beyond the “unpopulated area of Atacama”. This misleading characterization fails to distinguish desert areas from the topographic variations existing between the Andes and the Pacific coast. These representations, which have translated into depopulation practices, have stigmatized the highland areas as synonymous with desolation and inhospitality, seemingly unsuitable for daily life, social production, and reproduction potential. Consequently, both spaces and individuals have been objectified for development, perpetuating the capitalist system as the dominant mode of production.

Keywords: Andes; imaginaries; Atacama Desert; representations; Chile (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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