Abstract

This article discusses the post-volcanic eruption process in Chaitén and the self-imposed tasks by the political authority to commission of a study concerning population resettlement-decisions and the future of the city. These measures were effective in 2010. The article points to the major inconsistencies among the demands of local families, the development of academic proposals and political decision-making to rebuild old Chaitén or build a new city. The article is based on ethnographic registers conducted on site by scholars and background information collected form academic reports and press files.