Entrer en terrain (en) militant

Abstract

This contribution intends to shed light on the theoretical and practical ways in which the comparison of urban struggles in distinct contexts can be conducted, in this case San Francisco (United-States) and Valparaíso (Chile). While gentrification processes concern both cities, housing justice collectives oppose them using various strategies from online symbolic actions to street blockades. In this research, participant observation allows for an insiders point of view on their motives and the repertories of contention. More specifically, this article describes the positionnality of the researcher while going from one to the other fieldwork.

Keywords

• mobilizations
• gentrification
• reflexivity
• queer
• housing justice
• San Francisco