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Isabelle Donetch

imbunching 01 – Isabelle Donetch
Research

Subject

Imbunching the Mapocho: Urban Repression and Sanitisation in Neoliberal Santiago

First and second supervisors 

Abstract

This research studies the transformation of the Mapocho river in Santiago de Chile through the lens of urban repressive strategies, neoliberalism, and aesthetic normalisation. It traces how the river, once a symbol of environmental degradation and social marginalisation, has been reshaped from the Pinochet dictatorship to the post-dictatorial neoliberal era. The study explores how displacement and deregulation along the riverbanks perpetuate legacies of repression and elite control, often under the guise of modern planning and beautification.  Using the Chilean mythological monster of the imbunche—a being forcibly deformed and bound to render it silent and immobile— this research highlights how the river has been tied, sanitised, and rendered mute in service of neoliberal ideals of transparency and market efficiency.

This research critically analyses the intersection of political discourses, cultural representations, and urban projects, arguing that these transformations reveal broader patterns of domination and control, where the Mapocho’s natural and social landscape is shaped by economic elites, further entrenching urban segregation and inequality. Through archival research, analysis of cultural representations, and political discourse, the research reveals how the Mapocho’s transformation exemplifies the tensions between neoliberal imperatives and alternative urban futures rooted in collective memory and resistance. Ultimately, it questions whether Latin America’s post-dictatorial urban spaces can envision futures that acknowledge past struggles for social and environmental justice or if they will remain constrained by neoliberal frameworks of aesthetic normalisation and economic control.

Biography

Isabelle studied architecture at Universidad de Chile (2016) and graduated from UCL in 2020, where she pursued a Master in Sustainable Heritage. In addition, she holds a diploma in Cultural Heritage awarded from Universidad Católica in Chile. Her academic interests focus on “history from below” where she explores power struggles over hegemonic narratives and memory in the construction of heritage and identity. Isabelle has developed several research projects, published articles and participated in different international congress. Additionally, she published the book chapter ‘Representations and resignification of a public monument.  The social struggles over monuments after the Social Outbreak in Santiago de Chile.’ (2024).

Before starting her PhD, Isabelle worked as an architect in collaborating with architectural practices in Santiago as well as developed several research projects, published articles, and participated in different international congresses. Currently, Isabelle is pursuing her PhD at The Bartlett School of Architecture and is a Teaching Assistant for modules at The Bartlett School of Architecture and The Bartlett School of Planning.

Publications

  • Donetch, I. 2024. “Representations and resignification of a public monument.  The social struggles over monuments after the Social Outbreak in Santiago de Chile”. In Bozoğlu, G., Campbell, G., Smith, L. & Whitehead, C. (eds) The Routledge International Handbook of Heritage and Politics, 380-397. London: Routledge.

  • Bulatović, H., Cassina, E., Donetch, I., Paul, L. and Stanišić, L. 2024. “Rituals of care”. In Bentz, J., Ristić Trajković, J. & Ng, K. (eds) Tomorrow’s Odyssey – A time traveler’s guide to our shared future(s), 66-75. Lisbon: FCSH. https://doi.org/10.34619/ajw0-hm9z

  • Donetch, I. (2023) “Imaginarios fluviales: Frontera, heterotopía y marginalidad en la transformación del Mapocho.” Revista Historia y Patrimonio 45, 3: 1-21. https://doi.org/10.5354/2810-6245.2023.71785

  • Pimentel, F & Donetch, I. (2023) “Arquitectas en la Unidad Popular. Colaboración femenina en tiempos de transformación política, cultural y urbana.” In Ogalde, M, Rodriguez, J., Rojas, V., Rozas, B. & Solari, F. (eds) Entre líneas. Relecturas de la historia a través de las arquitectas en Chile, 230-248. Santiago: Ediciones Universidad Católica de Chile.

  • Donetch, I. & Qiu, K. (2022) “Dear Santiago. A love letter to a city.” Afterparti, 1:52-53. 

  • Donetch, I. 2021. “Comunidades y Sitios de Memoria: Metodología para la puesta en valor de los Sitios de Memoria.” Revista de Urbanismo, 45, 163–181. https://doi.org/10.5354/0717-5051.2021.61192

  • Donetch, I. (2017) “Desertificación. Estrategias de diseño arquitectónico para la recuperación de la tierra agrícola degradada en el caso de Til-Til”. In Simonetti, S., Fierro, C., Araneda, C. & Núñez, C. (eds) Arquitectura Escrita 2017, 108-119. Santiago: Local Ediciones,

Funding

  • National Agency for Research and Development (ANID) Graduate Fellowship (Chile) 

  • The Michael James Scholarship, Amar-Franses and Foster-Jenkins Trust (UK) 

Image: imbunching 01 – Isabelle Donetch