Uprootedness and hope: Villa Clarín and the challenges of community development

Abstract

The history of Villa Clarín, like that of many communities marked by forced displacement and the fragmented intervention of the State and NGOs, reveals a complex tension between community resilience and the reproduction of logics of dependency and passivity. The community, born in conditions of adversity and uprooting, embodies multiple social, cultural and economic challenges that reflect the situation of thousands of peripheral populations in Latin America. Despite having initially demonstrated a remarkable capacity for organization and solidarity, Villa Clarín has faced structural and subjective obstacles that have limited its possibilities for autonomous development.