Structural Violence and Discrimination
This line seeks to document, analyze and theorize how different groups experience, normalize, reflect and/or resist the structural violence and inequality that affects them, as well as the affections and effects of these experiences on the diverse expressions of citizenship.
It studies —from a historical, regional, and global comparative perspective— the relationship between State officials, NGOs, etc., and citizens, taking into account urban segregation and the unequal distribution of services in the territory, identifying their effects on communities for a better understanding of inequality in access to and quality of social rights.
Research Projects 2025
Affective Temporalities of Defeat
This project explores the temporal and affective dimensions of defeat experienced after the cycle of mobilizations in Chile that began in October 2019 and ended in September 2022.
Ten semi-structured interviews will be conducted with residents of socio-territorially marginalized neighborhoods in the Metropolitan Region who participated in organizations and mobilizations during the social uprising. This will help understand how experiences of defeat and expectations for the future are articulated in contexts of frustrated political change. This study will show how individuals and communities emotionally process the end of political cycles and reconfigure the meanings they give to hope.
Violence in Encampments
This study explores the violence present in informal settlements in Chile, particularly in encampments, focusing its analysis on its prevalence, causes, and its capacity of violence to produce urban space. This research engages with theories of chains of violence, which view violence from a relational perspective and as a phenomenon that occurs within the social and urban conflict produced by the liberalizing tendencies of the neoliberal city. The objective of this research is to understand how the violence faced daily by residents of these encampments in Chile produces urban space.
Conscious Images
This project emerges from a group of researchers who have used images throughout their work. These diverse themes, intersected by social inequalities and structural violence, aim to use images as tools for knowledge and redefinition.
This project seeks to reflect on the following questions: What are the political consequences of visual production in contexts of precariousness and structural violence? What are our ethical considerations when using images in our research? What problems do we face in the process of research practice? How have we navigated errors and failures?
Intergenerational Dialogues through Theater
Through a dialogue centered on the play “Eloísa,” we seek to explore the relationships between older and younger women around themes of violence, democracy, feminism, education, and mental health. Through focus groups, we aim to analyze the spaces for patronizing and conversation between both generations.
Ya Egresaron
Structural Violence and Discrimination
Luis Briceño
PhD in Anthropology from the School of Anthropology at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. He earned his degree with the dissertation “Common Bets: Migrant Spatialities and Political Subjectivities of Migrants in a Squatter Settlement in Batuco, Chile.” He was a fellow of the Chilean National Research and Development Agency.
Contacto
labriceno@uc.cl
Structural Violence and Discrimination
Ariel Florencia Richards
She holds a PhD in Visual Arts from the Faculty of Arts at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. She was a fellow of the National Research and Development Agency (ANID). Her dissertation was titled “HOLES: Performative Tactics to Dismantle the Mandate of Masculinity.”
Contacto
arielflorencia@uc.cl
Investigador Asociado
Structural Violence and Discrimination, Criminal Violence and Urban Insecurity, Political, Ethnical and Radicalization Violence
Ángel Aedo
Associate Researcher /Director
Director and principal researcher of VioDemos. Professor at the School of Anthropology of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, researcher at the Center for Justice and Society Studies at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, the Center for Intercultural and Indigenous Studies (CIIR) and the Millennium Nucleus Criminal Complexity. He trained as an Anthropologist at the National School of Anthropology and History of Mexico and obtained his PhD in Social Anthropology and Ethnology from the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris.
Contacto
jaedog@uc.cl
Structural Violence and Discrimination, Criminal Violence and Urban Insecurity
Alejandra Luneke
Associate Researcher / Alternate Director
VioDemos principal Researcher and VioDemos Alternate Director. Professor at the School of Government and Public Administration at Universidad Mayor. Researcher in charge of the Fondecyt Regular Project Nº1240879 “Gender, policing, urban margins: exploring the practices and social interactions of policewomen with subjects in Chile” (2024-2027) and part of the team of the Millennium Nucleus of Criminal Complexity.
Contacto
graciela.luneke@umayor.cl
Political, Ethnical and Radicalization Violence, Structural Violence and Discrimination
Andrés Kalawski
VioDemos Principal Researcher. Professor at the School of Theater of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Part of the team of the Fondecyt project “After Harm: Interdisciplinary explorations of reparation initiatives in post dictatorship Chile” (2023-2026).
Contacto
akalawski@uc.cl
Criminal Violence and Urban Insecurity, Structural Violence and Discrimination
Catalina Droppelmann
VioDemos Principal Researcher and coordinator of the Criminal Violence Line. Executive Director of the Centro de Estudios Justicia y Sociedad UC, research professor at the Instituto de Sociología UC and Escuela de Gobierno UC. She directs the Millennium Nucleus Criminal Complexity and leads the Fondecyt Initiation project “Desistance and persistence in drug trafficking: an unexplored trajectory” (2024-2027). She is an affiliated member of the Centre for Community, Gender and Social Justice of the University of Cambridge.
Contacto
cadroppelmann@uc.cl
Criminal Violence and Urban Insecurity, Structural Violence and Discrimination
Juan Pablo Luna
Coordinator
VioDemos Principal Researcher. Professor at the School of Government UC and full professor at McGill University in Canada where he holds the Diamond-Brown Chair in Democracy Studies. Researcher at the Instituto Milenio Fundamento de los Datos and the Centro de Ecología Aplicada y Sustentabilidad. He is researcher in charge of the Fondecyt Regular project “Unequal Democracies in Weak(er) States. Assesing Latin America’s Development Trap” (2023-2026) and in 2023 he received the grant The Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation to develop the research ‘Organized Crime, State Crises, and the Consolidation of Violent Democracies’.
Contacto
jlunaf@uc.cl
Political, Ethnical and Radicalization Violence, Structural Violence and Discrimination
Marcela Cornejo
VioDemos Principal Researcher.Professor at the School of Psychology of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and Co-directs the research project “Dictatorship, theatrical scene and 50 years: dramaturgies, memories, stories”.
Contacto
marcela@uc.cl
Political, Ethnical and Radicalization Violence, Structural Violence and Discrimination
Oriana Bernasconi
VioDemos Principal Researcher. Associate Professor, appointment shared between the Institute of Applied Ethics and the Center for Dialogue and Peace of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Director of the Millennium Nucleus “Research in production and state use of data on severe human rights violations – Data Justa” and researcher of the Fondecyt Regular project “Knowledge Infrastructures and State Intervention Regimes: a Latin American study of the National Search Plans for Detained and Disappeared Persons”.
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Political, Ethnical and Radicalization Violence, Structural Violence and Discrimination
Rodrigo Mardones
VioDemos Principal Researcher. Professor at the Institute of Political Science of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and Associate Researcher at the Center for the Study of Policies and Practices in Education (CEPPE UC).
Contacto
rmardonesz@uc.cl
Political, Ethnical and Radicalization Violence, Structural Violence and Discrimination
Manuela Badilla
Assistant Professor at the School of Psychology of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile . She leads the Fondecyt Initiation project “Narratives, repertoires and narco memories in contemporary Chile: New struggles for space in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods” (2025-2028).
Contacto
manuela.badilla@uc.cl
Investigador Adjunto
Political, Ethnical and Radicalization Violence, Structural Violence and Discrimination
Marjorie Murray
Coordinator
Associate Professor of the School of Anthropology, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile). She leads the Fondecyt Regular project “Changing Subjectivities, Intimacies in Tension: An Ethnography of Adult Women in Santiago” (2025-2028).
Contacto
mmurray@uc.cl
Political, Ethnical and Radicalization Violence, Structural Violence and Discrimination
Piergiorgio de Giminiani
VioDemos Associate Researcher. Associate Professor at the School of Anthropology of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, principal investigator of the Centro de Estudios Interculturales e Indígenas CIIR and co-investigator of the Fondecyt project “After Harm: Interdisciplinary explorations of reparation initiatives in post dictatorship Chile” (2023-2026).
Contacto
pdigiminia@uc.cl
Political, Ethnical and Radicalization Violence, Structural Violence and Discrimination
Damián Martínez
VioDemos Associate Researcher. Professor of the Department of Sociology at the University of Granada.
Contacto
damian.martinez@viodemos.cl
Criminal Violence and Urban Insecurity, Structural Violence and Discrimination
María Paz Trebilcock
VioDemos associate researcher. Assistant Professor at the Institute of Social Sciences of the University of O’Higgins. Principal investigator of the Fondecyt “Access to housing in times of crisis: land access strategies of the urban poor in Santiago de Chile” (2022-2025).
Contacto
maria.trebilcock@uoh.cl
Criminal Violence and Urban Insecurity, Structural Violence and Discrimination
Pilar Larroulet
VioDemos adjunct researcher. Assistant Professor at Rutgers University School of Criminal Justice.
Contacto
plarroul@uc.cl
Political, Ethnical and Radicalization Violence, Structural Violence and Discrimination
José Manuel Fernández
VioDemos principal researcher. Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law of the Universidad Alberto Hurtado and Researcher responsible for the Regular Foundation Project “Criminal types of domestic violence: Are they consistent with the requirement that criminal liability is personal?” (2025-2028).
Contacto
jmfernandez@uahurtado.cl
Political, Ethnical and Radicalization Violence, Structural Violence and Discrimination
Paula Alonqueo
VioDemos Research Associate. Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of La Frontera.
Contacto
paula.alonqueo@ufrontera.cl
Political, Ethnical and Radicalization Violence, Structural Violence and Discrimination
(Español) Fabien Le Bonniec
(Español) Profesor Asociado del Departamento de Ciencias Sociales de la Universidad de La Frontera. Antropólogo e investigador principal del proyecto Fondecyt Regular “Hacia una antropología de las injusticias en el sur de Chile”.
Contacto
fabien.lebonniec@ufrontera.cl
Investigadores Jóvenes
Structural Violence and Discrimination, Political, Ethnical and Radicalization Violence
Gabriela Piña
VioDemos young researcher. Professor at the School of Education of the Universidad Mayor and adjunct researcher at the Center for Intercultural and Indigenous Studies CIIR. Co-investigator of the Regular Fondecyt project “Changing subjectivities, intimacies in tension: An ethnography of adult women in Santiago” (2025-2028).
Contacto
gabriela.pina@umayor.cl
Structural Violence and Discrimination, Political, Ethnical and Radicalization Violence
Alicia Olivari
Young researcher at VioDemos. Professor at the School of Psychology of the Academia de Humanismo Cristiano University. PhD in Social Anthropology and Master’s in Anthropology and Ethnography from the University of Barcelona, and psychologist from the University of Chile. ANID postdoctoral researcher (2022-2025) sponsored by the UC School of Anthropology.
Contacto
alicia.olivari@viodemos.cl
Structural Violence and Discrimination, Criminal Violence and Urban Insecurity
(Español) Gonzalo Parra
Analista en políticas y asuntos internacionales de la Universidad de Santiago de Chile y Magíster en Ciencia Política de la Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Estudiante de Doctorado en Ciencia Política en la misma universidad y becario de la Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo ANID.
Contacto
gaparra@uc.cl
Investigador Postdoctoral
Structural Violence and Discrimination, Political, Ethnical and Radicalization Violence
Catalina Mansilla
VioDemos Potdoctoral researcher and at the Faculty of Law of the Universidad Alberto Hurtado. Her research career has focused on working with Aymara groups and communities in northern Chile since 2014.
Contacto
camansilla@uahurtado.cl
Investigadores Senior
Structural Violence and Discrimination, Political, Ethnical and Radicalization Violence
Milena Grass
Senior Researcher al VioDemos. Professor at the School of Theatre UC and Vice President of the International Federation for Theatre Research.
Contacto
mgrass@uc.cl
Investigadores colaboradores/as
Structural Violence and Discrimination, Political, Ethnical and Radicalization Violence
Joaquín Rozas
PhD in Political and Social Sciences from Pompeu Fabra University. He earned his degree with the dissertation “Dealing with the Intermediation Crisis: The Political Outcomes of Collective Action in Chile.”
Contacto
joaquinrozas@udec.cl
Structural Violence and Discrimination, Criminal Violence and Urban Insecurity
Pilar Ortiz
Postdoctoral researcher at VioDemos in the Department of Sociology at the Universidad Alberto Hurtado.
Contacto
por.ortiz@gmail.com
Structural Violence and Discrimination, Political, Ethnical and Radicalization Violence
(Español) Marisol Verdugo Paiva
(Español) Profesora y Secretaria Académica de la Escuela de Antropología de la Universidad Diego Portales. Doctora en Antropología Social por la University of Manchester, Reino Unido.
Contacto
marisol.verdugo@udp.cl
Structural Violence and Discrimination
(Español) Sofía Ugarte
(Español) Profesora asistente de la Escuela de Antropología de la Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Doctora en Antropología por University of Cambridge.
Contacto
asugarte@uc.cl
Criminal Violence and Urban Insecurity, Structural Violence and Discrimination
(Español) Paola Díaz
(Español) Profesora del Departamento de Antropología de la Universidad de Tarapacá. Investigadora asociada al Centre d’études des mouvements sociaux de l’École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS).
Contacto
pdiaza@academicos.uta.cl
Estudiantes de Doctorado
Structural Violence and Discrimination, Criminal Violence and Urban Insecurity
Bianca Da Silva
VioDemos Ph D. student. Lawyer from the University of Fortaleza, Brazil. Master in Psychology with mention in Community Psychology from the University of Chile. Phd. candidate in Sociology at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.
Contacto
bbaracho@uc.cl
Structural Violence and Discrimination
Pietro Montagna
VioDemos PhD student. Psychologist from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and Master in Medical Anthropology from University College London. Phd. student in Anthropology at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Scholarship holder of the National Agency for Research and Development ANID.
Contacto
pietromontagna@gmail.com
Structural Violence and Discrimination
Emiliana Cereceda
VioDemos PhD student. Anthropologist from the University of Chile and Master in Material and Visual Culture at University College London (UK), she is a PhD student at the same university, scholarship holder of the National Agency for Research and Development, ANID.
Contacto
emiliana.cereceda.23@ucl.ac.uk
Structural Violence and Discrimination
Javiera Roa
VioDemos PhD student. Social Worker and Master in Social Work from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Phd. candidate in Sociology at the Universidad Alberto Hurtado. She is a doctoral scholarship holder of the National Agency for Research and Development (ANID). Member of the Network of Researchers in Childhood.
Contacto
javiroa@gmail.com
Structural Violence and Discrimination
Loreto Tenorio
VioDemos PhD student. Anthropologist from the Universidad Austral de Chile and Master in gender and cultural studies with mention in social sciences from the Universidad de Chile. D. candidate in Anthropology at the School of Anthropology of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.
Contacto
loreto.tenorio@viodemos.cl
Structural Violence and Discrimination
Ivette Quezada
PhD candidate in Anthropology at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Holds a Bachelor’s degree in History from the Universidad de Chile and a Master’s degree in Latin American Art, Thought, and Culture from the University of Santiago. Fellow of the Chilean National Research and Development Agency (ANID).
Contacto
ivquezada@uc.cl
Structural Violence and Discrimination, Criminal Violence and Urban Insecurity
Constanza Tizzoni
Anthropologist from the Universidad de Chile. PhD student in Anthropology at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Fellow of the National Research and Development Agency (ANID).
Contacto
ctizzoni@uc.cl
Criminal Violence and Urban Insecurity, Structural Violence and Discrimination
(Español) Rolando Carmona
(Español) Sociólogo de la Pontificia Universidad Católica, Magíster y estudiante de doctorado en Criminología en la Universidad de Cambridge.
Contacto
rjc216@cam.ac.uk
Structural Violence and Discrimination, Criminal Violence and Urban Insecurity
(Español) Catalina Rufs Orellana
(Español)
Ingeniera Comercial de la Universidad de Chile, Magíster en Sociología de la Pontificia Universidad Católica. Candidata a doctora en Sociología de la misma universidad, en co-supervisión con la Universidad de Leiden, Países Bajos. Becaria ANID.
Contacto
cirufs@uc.cl