New ways of participation in the Argentinean Democracy

PERELMAN, MARIANO

. Bergen, Noruega

Conferencia; How to Make Institutions Work for the Poor, Annual Norwegian Association for Development Research Conference; 2007

Norwegian Association for Development Research y Chr. Michelsen Institute

During the last decades of the twentieth century, Argentina experienced a strong change as the country embraced a new model of development based on open economies and global competition (The neoliberal model). In Argentina, this process started when the last military government (1976-1983) dramatically transformed the Argentinean social structure. As a part of the social transformation, the unemployment rate has increased considerably. Employment is more precarious than ever before; political support has changed, the public system of social intervention has changed from inclusive and universal policies to assistance policies. All these changes have produced a new interest of the social scientists in the “quality of the Argentinean democracy” and in citizenship. Although these changes have not taken place only in Argentina, the Argentinean history makes this situation rather different. Unlike other countries, social citizenship is historically articulated as part of formal labor relations. In the Argentinean case it is possible to establish that this profound transformation of the labor market structure has changed the historical relations between labor relations and citizens rights. During the last years, different groups have appeared that are questioning this process and the democratic procedures (but not democracy). Although the military government started these social transformations, the successive democratic governments have not improved their living conditions substantially. Still more during the nineties the neoliberal process has been implemented as it never was before. In this context a new political actor appears: the piqueteros. By cutting bridges, routs, streets, these movements have started to ask for what they considered their Rights and to question the representation of political parties. According to the hegemonic democracy transition theory, political parties and elections are the arena where citizens express their decision. By investigating different Unemployed Workers Movements from an ethnographic point of view in this paper, I question the vision that the actions of this new political actor are anti-democratic actions. We argue that it is possible to think that democracy does not have only one way and that participation and citizenship can be expressed through different practices and not only through elections. This way of analyzing it allows us not only analyze and to understand the recent social process in Argentina, but also to make a major reflection on how, as a social scientist, it is possible to contribute to this process.