This article analyzes two cases of social mobilization in Chile carried out by communities living in territories with a marked regional identity—Chiloé and Aysén—which managed to control extensive areas for weeks through various protest actions. To this end, it focuses on the dialectical relationships established between mobilized communities and the social and material space they inhabit. It draws on the results of a series of semi-structured interviews with individuals who participated in or witnessed the mobilizations in the aforementioned areas, whose responses were processed through discourse analysis. The findings show that, by appealing to a strong pre-existing sense of regional identity and using everyday knowledge of their own places, the communities effectively controlled the territory by occupying public space. They developed strategies to maintain that control for weeks and produced an unexpected territory that manifested a set of dynamics of its own. It also shows that the occupation and control of public space, despite negative consequences—such as eventual police repression and food supply problems—are essential for social mobilization, as they enhance the visibility of collective demands and compel authorities to engage in political negotiations.
