-Grimberg, M Union practices, activism and memory. Tensions and articulations in the relations with the State and other actors of printing workers union of Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area. Argentine

GRIMBERG, MABEL

Manchester

Congreso; 17 World Congress of IUAES Evolving Humanity, Emerging Worlds; 2013

International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences IUAES

This paper focus the relations of printing workers union of BAMA with the State, social movements and political organizations under an analytical perspective that seeks to integrate union agenda activities and labour conflicts with the reconstruction of life trajectories and memories. Historical and sociological studies have emphasised the historical relations between unions and the State in Argentina since the 1940´s. These relationships have mainly been considered in the dichotomous terms of confrontations/subordination to the State, associated with others like labour/politics and unions/social movements. This kind of approach has contributed to hide the multiple political commitments of activists, as well as the role of the relations with other social actors. In this paper I analyse the practices of activists of printing workers union under a perspective that seeks to integrate union agenda activities and labour conflicts with the reconstruction of life trajectories and memories. This view allows visible simultaneous modalities of relations with state agencies, social movements and political groups. It does also contributes to understand how knowledge, traditions and memories interplay in the conformation of unionist practices and relations with other social actors, as well as the meanings attributed to their labour activities, to the politics and to the State.