New Forms of Social Mobilization in Democratic Argentina

Abstract

Despite consistently democratic elections since 1983, Argentina has experienced severe political crises, in particular the economic crisis of 1989 and of 2001, both of which featured extensive social mobilization. Existing repertoires of collective action (Tilly), centered on labor struggles, proved resilient and were updated in post-1983 crises. New forms of modular collective action (Tarrow) emerged out of the more recent mobilizations and have become integrated in the repertoire. The article examines two paradigmatic new forms: piquetes (road and street blockades) and “social outbreaks” (estallidos sociales). The analysis is based on secondary sources as well as the author’s own fieldwork. In English, extensive summary in Russian.