Work

Perceptions of Nature in Cordillera and Urban Settings in Cultural Transitions of Colla Communities From Northern Chile

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: How people face changes in their lives depends on a series of factors, encompassing individual (cognitive, psychological and emotional) and collective (i.e., cultural) aspects, which originate positive and negative perceptions that help individuals organize the reality around them. These perceptions are of crucial importance in processes involving cultural transitions of indigenous communities as the former may influence life-changing decisions and the communities’ cultural identity. This is the case of the indigenous communities of Collas in the northern region of Atacama (Chile) who, for several reasons, have, over the last decades, migrated back and forth between the Cordillera 1 and the city. In this paper, we investigate the positive and negative perceptions of nature for both, the Cordillera and the city, settings as a fundamental aspect of Collas’ identity, and discuss the similarities and differences of these perceptions according to participants’ geographical location, age and gender.

Source: SAGE Open

DOI: 10.1177/21582440251341066

Authors: Mariana Lazzaro-Salazar, Sara Arenas, Enrique A. Mundaca, Chiara Saracini, Olga Zayts, Boris Lucero

Institutions: Catholic University of the Maule, University of Atacama, University of Hong Kong

Language: English

Topic: Indigenous Studies in Latin America

Subfield: Cultural Studies

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,600

Funder: Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo