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In the 1970s, Chile was a pioneer in the general, worldwide transition to neoliberalism. Chilean neoliberalism was also infamous for its violence and repression, as it was instituted under the bloody military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990).  The violent repression of the dictatorship underscores the anti-democratic nature of neoliberalism's free market fundamentalism and its radical state retrenchment.  Yet even in Chile, neoliberalism's path was neither entirely straightforward nor free from popular pressure.  This talk explores the transition to neoliberalism through an examination of an iconic and controversial site in Santiago, Chile, the Parque Arauco.  This area was initially designed as a modernist, working class neighborhood before the dictatorship and subsequently became a high-end shopping mall following neoliberal reforms.  The trajectory of the Parque Arauco reveals both why Chile deserves its iconic status as a trailblazing model for neoliberalism and how neoliberalism must also be understood as contingent and partially responsive to social pressures.    

Ed Murphy, Associate Professor of History and Global Urban Studies