“Tangled Up in These Conceptualities”: Sanction, Protest, and Ideology in Berlin, Germany

Abstract

This article examines one informant's approach to the relationship between ideological concepts and political power. I argue that ideological representation must be understood on its own terms, rather than within a larger theory of discourse. I point toward three key qualities of every encounter with ideological representation: subjectivity, discontinuity, and commitment. The fieldwork on which this article is based occurred in Berlin, Germany, during the fall 2014. During this period, my research focused on activists committed to overturning the sanctioning policy (Sanktionspolitik), which allows case managers to dock the unemployment benefits of their clients. [ideology, subjectivity, welfare state, Germany] RESUMEN Este artículo examina la aproximación de un informante a la relación entre conceptos ideológicos y poder político. Argumento que la representación ideológica debe ser entendida en sus propios términos, más que dentro de una teoría más amplia del discurso. Llamo la atención hacia tres cualidades claves de cada encuentro con una representación ideológica: subjetividad, discontinuidad y compromiso. El trabajo de campo en el cual se basa este artículo ocurrió en Berlín, Alemania, durante el otoño de 2014. Durante este período, mi investigación se enfocó en los activistas comprometidos con anular la política de sanciones (Sanktionspolitik), la cual permite a los gestores de casos recortar los subsidios de desempleo de sus clientes. [ideología, subjetividad, estado de bienestar, Alemania]

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