Popular neighborhoods in Guayaquil-Ecuador, through residents' voices: an anthropological approach to their formation, territorialized experiences, and the construction of local identity

Abstract

Understanding popular neighborhoods requires engaging with the everyday practices and modes of life (re)production of their residents—both individually and collectively. This is a complex yet essential process for rethinking urban dynamics. This study explores the formation of popular neighborhoods shaped by diverse processes of informal settlement through the territorialized experiences of residents in two neighborhoods in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Grounded in an anthropological theoretical-methodological approach, the research employed qualitative methods to investigate the cultural meanings that residents assign to their life trajectories and shared experiences during the transition from informal settlement to the constitution of a neighborhood space. Ethnographic fieldwork was carried out between May and October 2022 and included interviews and focus groups with inhabitants of the selected neighborhoods. The findings offer insight into the formation of collective identities and their ties to the process of neighborhood construction. Moreover, the study identifies material and social transformations, as well as (dis)continuities, that have unfolded since the early stages of settlement—particularly in contrast to the current context of insecurity and urban violence in Guayaquil.