THE POLITICS OF HOME-MAKING: A GENDER-BASED APPROACH TO SELF-HELP HOUSING

For dwellers of informal settlements the value of housing is not only determined by its material aspects, but also by immaterial and political elements. The theoretical notion of 'home' by feminist geographers has gradually been introduced in housing studies as a way to counteract the view of housing just as a material need, as well as to introduce a gender approach to housing. Although women have played a key role in accessing housing in Chile, there has been little recognition of this in literature or in practice. The paper presents four aspects of the feminist literature of home in order to discuss a gender approach to the production of informal housing. In order to do this, the paper presents four dimensions: home-making and the emotions that drive it; home-making through the intersectionality of identities; home-making at different territorial scales; and home-making and its political dimension. The dimensions are discussed through a gender-approached research in informal settlements in Vina del Mar, using qualitative methodology with participatory photography and life stories.