Forced internal displacement and educational trajectories of students from the Panguipulli Forestry and Timber Complex

Abstract

Chile has not recognized internal forced displacement as a human rights violation during the civic-military-business dictatorship, which primarily affected rural communities in southern Chile due to the state's systematic violence. In light of this, this research—situated within a socio-critical perspective, using a qualitative approach and an ethnographic design—aims to analyze the difficulties and challenges faced by female students in their educational trajectories as a result of internal forced displacement. The participants were nine women who, during the 1970s and 1980s, were students and teachers at educational institutions located in the Arquilhue, Maihue, and Carrán estates, which were part of the Forest and Timber Complex of Panguipulli. They also include current leaders of displaced persons’ organizations. The data collection instrument was in-depth interviews, and data analysis was conducted in three stages: open coding, axial coding (Atlas.ti 7.0), and empirical theoretical sampling. The results show that their educational trajectories were disrupted by the abrupt breakdown of both educational and community networks, a direct consequence of dispossession—an act that represents not only material loss but also symbolic and subjective erasure. The study concludes that internal forced displacement constitutes a context of systematic human rights violations during the military dictatorship and that it had devastating and lasting effects on the education of girls and young women. In addition to interrupting their educational processes, it denied them the right to childhood, safety, stability, and holistic development.