Religiosities and Uses of Territory in Cristian Alarcón’s Novel

Cultural Disputes and Negotiations

Abstract

This article presents an analysis of the novel Si me querés quereme transa, by Cristian Alarcón. The text portrays the city of Buenos Aires with a focus on the creation of a fictional villa miseria, where subjects from neighboring countries gather, bringing into the literary field a discussion of the increase in immigration at the end of the twentieth century and the consequences of this phenomenon for ways of relating to the other. By prioritizing the issue of immigration, the writer emphasizes the problem of a homogenizing vision shaped by a foundational myth and makes visible the cultural practices through which immigrants appropriate the new territory and construct a sense of belonging. The issue of religiosity emerges as a symbolic and political heritage within these marginalized spaces, constituting an important element for reading the villas of the Conurbano Bonaerense. Religiosity in the novel exposes disputes and negotiations and highlights cultural plurality.