“Framing Politics in Latin America. Organizing Conflict and Social Unrest After the Left Turn”

GABRIEL KESSLER; GABRIEL VOMMARO

Chicago

Congreso; Midwest Political Science Association Conference; 2024

Midwest Political Science Association

After an upward economic cycle during which social indicators improved in almost the entire region, Latin America is experiencing a period of growing social and political discontent and conflict. Interruptions in social progress have fueled citizens' frustrations. However, the conflicts over these demands have varied from country to country. In line with studies on social movements and collective action, we argue that, among other fundamental points, the structure of a conflict is linked to the defined target of the protests (Walker, Martin & McCarthy, 2008; Wood, 2004), assuming that they always have some anti-incumbent component, they can be treated as representatives of an out-group or as a homogeneous political class ("la casta", "los mismos de siempre", etc.). Given the different targets of these protests and discontents, we argue that current political conflict in Latin America can be summarized in three types of scenarios: ideological polarization with affective components, polarization around an emerging leader, and generalized discontent. These three types are dynamic and do not follow a predetermined sequence.