Socio-spatial Stratification Dynamics in Northern and Southern Chilean Cities

The analysis of the concentration of social classes in cities has been linked both to residential segregation indices, and to the discussion about the processes of social integration of persons with different characteristics. However, this way of problematizing social inequalities hides three disadvantages: first, it is assumed that important social differences are marked by the possession of material goods, which is why this type of variable is the most widely used to study spatial inequalities; secondly, it ignores the debate on the mechanisms of social value that the occupation performed in the labor market has for the attribution of social, material, and symbolic well-being in contemporary societies; and, finally, the analysis of other dimensions that condition inequality, such as ethnic and national origin, is not contemplated relationally. Considering the models that observe social class systems, this paper aims to analyze the socio-spatial stratification dynamics of two Chilean conurbations during the period 2002-2017: Iquique-Alto Hospicio and Temuco-Padre Las Casas. Based on a social class indicator and its statistical relationship with ethnic and national origin, the socio-spatial structure of both spaces is described. The results indicate that, although in both conurbations ethnic and national origin is related to the class condition of a given space, in Temuco and Padre Las Casas this is more severe. These results open the debate regarding social tensions in Chilean cities.