Apropiación y control social en un centro comercial de Santiago: prácticas socioespaciales y significaciones adolescentes

intellectual critique, both from north and latin america, has described malls as tightly controlled, socially homogeneous private spaces that are indifferent to their urban context. in chile, this also implied a critique ofthe neoliberal model established during the dictatorship, which however, did not deny the mall's success among citizens. in this article, through a qualitative and ethnographical analysis ofpractices and significations ofteenagers in the plaza vespucio mall, we will discuss some ofthe most common discourses ofthe intellectual critique by asserting thatfor adolescents: (i) the mall, rather than being enclosed and indifferent to the larger urban context, is part ofa system including different types ofspaces; (fi) the private /public; inside / outside distinctions are not relevant; and (fii) the level ofsocial control in the mall is tolerated insofar as practices ofadaptation and emerging resistance.