Am 05.06.2026 findet von 16-18 Uhr die letzte internationale Ringvorlesung der Abteilung Soziales und Gesundheit im Sommersemester 2026 statt.
Prof. Félix Rojo Mendoza (Universidad Católica de Temuco, Chile) wird zum Thema Mixed Methods for the Study of Rural Gentrification: Between Geographical Analysis and Situated Narratives vortragen.
Die Vortragssprache ist snglisch.
Abstract
The growing interest in migration to rural areas has sparked an ongoing debate about new ways of inhabiting the countryside. These movements from urban centers to small towns and low-density territories are driven by the search for well-being, contact with nature, authenticity, and, in some cases, anonymity (Rojo-Mendoza et al., 2022).
In Chile, recent research has identified sustained patterns of urban-to-rural migration led by traditional and emerging middle-class groups (Rojo-Mendoza et al., 2025). Given the social composition of these actors, a significant body of literature has interpreted these dynamics through the concept of rural gentrification (Phillips et al., 2021), understood as a process of physical, symbolic, and social transformation in rural territories. The arrival of middle-class groups is not neutral; it entails disputes over the legitimate definition of landscape and forms of territorial control. In this context, different forms of capital—economic, cultural, and social—are mobilized to impose specific ways of valuing and inhabiting rural space (Sherman, 2023).
From a methodological perspective, this raises a central question: how should we approach these ongoing transformations? The issue is not limited to changes in land use or property structures; it also involves the reconfiguration of meanings, imaginaries, and regimes of legitimacy. Should the analysis begin with the transformed territory or with the actors who drive these changes? How can structural transformations and situated experiences be articulated within a single, coherent research design?
Addressing these questions requires a mixed-methods strategy that integrates multiple scales, sources, and analytical techniques. Although gentrification has been widely studied, most methodological developments stem from urban contexts. Rural areas present specific challenges related to their spatial configurations, demographic patterns, and institutional frameworks.
This presentation outlines how the integration of geographical, demographic, institutional, and first-order narrative data (from migrants settled in rural areas) enables a comprehensive understanding of rural gentrification in progress. Three dimensions are emphasized: (a) the implications of a mixed-methods strategy for the sequential selection of cases—spaces, landscapes, and actors—to guide empirical work; (b) the analysis of secondary sources, including Geographic Information Systems (GIS), census data, territorially representative surveys, land-use records, and property data; and (c) the study of narratives concerning landscape construction and the investment of capital in rural land. Particular attention is given to photo-elicitation survey (Walker and Ryan, 2008; Lokocz et al., 2011) linked to narrative interviews, and to the constant comparative method derived from Grounded Theory (Strauss and Corbin, 2002; Rojo-Mendoza, 2018), both of which support in-depth interpretation and informed analytical decision-making in spatially grounded research.
Den Zugangslink versendet die Koordination 2 Wochen vorab.
