The Impact on Territory of Social and Political Conflict: Segregation and the Ghettos of Caracas

Abstract

The article analyses the spatial impact and territorial effects of social and political conflict in the Venezuelan
capital, Caracas, a state of affairs exacerbated by an acute polarisation in both these aspects. Education to
forward civic responsibility is examined by means of concrete examples,as is the question as to whether or
not these initiatives be democratic or anti-democratic in their objectives. The study is held to reveal that both
aims are to be found and that they are much related to patterns of a highly segregated and exclusive use of
territory that is socially and politically conflictive, this use of territory turning upon a fictional definition of
the others who are the enemy and thus a need for unity born of fear of them. There is thus felt to be a
strangely two faced democratic practice by the citizens of the capital here which while expressing itself in
civic activity and social awareness in favour of the democratic process at the same time has another and far
from democratic aspect which expresses itself in a paramilitary banding together in defence of «the family
and private property» against outsiders. The paper finds that it is this anti-democratic face of things that
has led to the emergence of ghettos in Caracas founded upon acute social, political and ideological polarisation
and holds that this is a cancer upon the democratic body politic of the capital.