Abstract

The article analyzes the process of place identity construction in the Coronel Bay in the Bío-Bío Region in Chile in the context of recent industrialization processes. The concept of the sacrifice zone is adopted to characterize the trajectory of socio-environmental devastation taken place in the territory. The study focuses on three industrial milestones settled since the productive reconversion launched in the 1990s. From a perspective of hybrid environmental history and with a strong component in the analysis of contemporary processes, an ethnographic approach was taken. This included interviews and document review, seeking to establish a dialogue between the qualitative sources and a framework of broader socio-historical processes. An ethnographic approach is used by means of interviews and document review. It was observed that the identity narratives adopt a “residual” character related to the socio-environmental deterioration and the well-being of the residents.