Tiempos Críticos. Análisis de la relación entre violencia y personas en situación de calle en contextos de "normalidad" y "excepción"

Abstract

This article analyzes and problematizes the notions of normality and exception in the case of homeless people. The study rests on the premise that, in a state of exception, the situation of homeless people becomes extremely hard due to the violence around them and their invisible existence. However, exceptionality in normality supplies a prime location for observing the multiple forms of violence to which these people are exposed and the ways in which they manage their quotidian life. The article employs a case study to describe how violence is observed in “normal times” and also con- siders personal testimonies and press stories collected during the social eruption of October 2019. The social eruption is defined as a privileged setting to observe exceptionality and its tensions regarding how control, social cohesion, and people’s experiences with violence are perceived in times of uncertainty. The results of the analysis enable us to illuminate and darken some of the debates on interventions aimed at homeless people as well as the strategies adopted in Chile by public and/or private organizations to eradicate this issue. Finally, the article presents some challenges and projections regarding what is to come and the way in which people affected by homelessness can make their demands and rights visible in connections with the requirements and demands of citizens who expect societal changes.