Alternative Spaces of the “Argentinazo”

Abstract

The ongoing instability in Argentina that emerged from the December 2001 uprising in Buenos Aires (the “Argentinazo”) has been one of the highest profile examples in recent years of reaction to the economic “disciplining” of a country. For enthusiasts, this reaction has been resistance, an upsurge against neoliberalisation by people conscious of what was happening and with alternative conceptions of how things should be (Aufheben 2003; Carrera and Cotarelo 2003; Dinerstein 2002; Galeano 2002; Harman 2002; “IM” 2002; Klein 2003a, 2003b; MAS 2002; Ollier 2003). Subaltern resistances such as those developed by Argentines have been the subject of much geographical writing on resistance in recent years (Castells 1997; Leyshon, Lee and Williams 2003; Pile and Keith 1997; Sharp et al 2000). This paper addresses the range of actions, or “action repertoire”(Tarrow 1998:20–21), of the Argentinazo to examine the extent to which alternative material and discursive “convergence spaces”(Routledge 2003) of political engagement emerged both as resistance to, and articulating a coherent alternative to, neoliberalism.

Pedagogies and Curriculums to (Re)imagine Public Education

“…In the words of North and Huber (2004), students are expected to engage in "a wider process of social change through the construction of a 'solidarity economy'" (p. 973) and in the "struggle for work and dignity and against neoliberal deindustrialization" (p. 974). But because of the school's affiliation with the CIEP and the MNER, the curriculum at BI also presents distinctive elements grounded in these organizations' view of students as active political agents.…”

Anti‐American Resistance in Latin America: An Issue of Sovereignty, Militarization, and Neoliberalism

“…The echoes of Subcomandante Marcos’ call for ‘emancipation paths’ for economic development that ‘advance at the pace of the slowest person’ resonated in Argentina’s jobless workers ears in 2001 after a 4‐year recession (Seoane 2004, 386). In the 1990s a ‘hard version’ of economic policies was applied in the Argentina of Carlos Menem, framed on privatization of the public sector, the restructuring of the financial sector to fit the prescriptions of ‘multilateral financial institutions’, and the dismantling of labor regulations and securities (Grimson 2008; North and Huber 2004; Schaumberg 2008). The deepening of social inequality and the rise in unemployment resulting from these reforms along with the inefficiency of the state to respond to people’s request for relief, exploded into mass protests in December 2001, as people of diverse classes took over the street corners and bridges leading to Buenos Aires in probably the largest manifestation of anti‐neoliberalism since the battle of Seattle in 1998.…”

“…The deepening of social inequality and the rise in unemployment resulting from these reforms along with the inefficiency of the state to respond to people’s request for relief, exploded into mass protests in December 2001, as people of diverse classes took over the street corners and bridges leading to Buenos Aires in probably the largest manifestation of anti‐neoliberalism since the battle of Seattle in 1998. The piqueteros , unemployed workers, became the leading voice and face of a movement that, in short time, expanded from Greater Buenos Aires, to the suburbs and rural areas, asking for change with their cry que se vayan todos, que no quede uno solo (out with them all, not a single one must remain) (North and Huber 2004, 964). Along with piquetes (pickets) and cacerolasos (pot banging), the protestors engaged in puebladas (town uprisings) and famous escraches (public naming and shaming exercises) to stress the indignation of the people with state figures and leaders (Grimson 2008, 509; Schaumberg 2008, 368).…”

Social and Solidarity Economy in a Neoliberal Context: Transformative or Palliative? The Case of an Argentinean Worker Cooperatives

“…Solidarity was instrumental in workers' projects of taking over enterprises and cooperative formations, which is widely recognised in the literature (North and Huber, 2004); however, only a few studies recognise the role of cooperation (Vieta, 2014). In many cases, the legal cooperative form was only a formality; however, the process of consolidation of the company and construction of a social group led members to fully adopt the cooperative principles (Raffaelli, 2013;Vieta, 2014).…”