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Transforming The City. An Ethnography Of Contested Public Space In Venezuela, Ana Servigna

Anthropology - Dissertations

My research falls within urban anthropology, as it examines how supporters and opponents of the Venezuelan government have manipulated symbols in attempting to control certain public places in Venezuela's capital city, Caracas. My thesis is that by using public places to advance their respective agendas, President Chávez' supporters and opponents have struggled for power and have exacerbated the country's social segregation, territorial division and political intolerance. My study reveals that despite its particular topography and socioeconomic structure, Caracas has a characteristic cartography of political segregation. This cartography has been created by groups of government opponents and supporters that want to …