Paper short abstract:

Development-induced displacement and resettlement can have substantial implications on people's lives - both those who resettle as well as those who stay. Looking at a case of a Mapuche-Pewenche community in Chile this paper explores the challenges they have encountered in place-attachment process.

Paper long abstract:

15 million people annually are believed to lose their assets and place due to 'development' projects. Development-induced displacement and resettlement (DIDR) has been criticised for the negative socio-economic effects it has on people; however, the implications and the context in which the process unwinds are broader. Focusing closely on an indigenous community in Chile, the Mapuche-Pewenche, who were resettled as a result of a dam construction over a decade ago, this paper will analyse their attempts to make and remake place. The Chilean state has historically prioritised external markets and 'development' over the question of indigenous rights and environmental sustainability. Little is known about the direct effects of DIDR on people's way of life, how the Mapuche-Pewenches' DIDR sits within Mapuches' historically disadvantaged position, and how it is influenced by the current tensions between the Mapuche and the state. Namely, dispossession and resettlement have been accompanied by resistance to which the state has responded with oppression. Drawing on data collected through interviews and drawing, the paper will examine the processes of Mapuche-Pewenches' place attachment as affected by the physical environment, community relationships, memories but also politics.