Towards a critical approach to place attachment: a review in contexts of infringement of the right to adequate housing

Abstract

In this article, we review studies that contribute to the critical understanding of place attachment in contexts of infringement of the right to adequate housing, revealing tensions between the meanings of the communities as opposed to the governmental normative obligations. For this, and transiting between psychology, geography and cultural studies, we describe the importance of places for people, the positive, negative and ambivalent dimensions of place attachment and we inquire into the processes involved in the loss and transformation of places. From a transdisciplinary reflection, we advocate a critical approach, which implies to make visible different political elements that seem to be absent in hegemonic positivistic and socio-cognitive productions. In our conclusions, we developed the importance of considering these absences, proposing to incorporate the dimensions of ethics and social commitment, gender, race, class and the challenges of decolonizing knowledge.