ABSTRACT
The social function of community-based museums is steeped not only in history and memory but also in emotion and deep affection. These spaces are rooted in the contexts of the territory and the extent to which its inhabitants identify with them. However, a community is not formed solely on the basis of its members sharing certain conditions or attributes, but also based on the strength of their interconnection.
In this chapter, we present some examples of community-based museums in southern Chile, which illustrate how emotion and affection are historically and culturally contingent, closely linked to power and political relations, and the starting point for issues inherent to heritage and situated territory.
