Book contents
- Proletarian Lives
- Cambridge Studies in Contentious Politics
- Proletarian Lives
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Introduction
- 2 “I Became a Bum”
- 3 “The Struggle Is on the Streets”
- 4 “I Know What It Means to Follow a Schedule”
- 5 “If It Rains or Hails, You Still Have to Show Up for Work”
- 6 “We Drink Mate, Eat a Good Stew, Talk … and That Way Time Flies”
- 7 “A Small Thing to Get By”
- 8 Conclusion
- Book part
- References
- Index
- Books in the Series (continued from p. iii)
2 - “I Became a Bum”
Economic Reforms and Everyday Life in Argentina
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 24 March 2022
- Proletarian Lives
- Cambridge Studies in Contentious Politics
- Proletarian Lives
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Introduction
- 2 “I Became a Bum”
- 3 “The Struggle Is on the Streets”
- 4 “I Know What It Means to Follow a Schedule”
- 5 “If It Rains or Hails, You Still Have to Show Up for Work”
- 6 “We Drink Mate, Eat a Good Stew, Talk … and That Way Time Flies”
- 7 “A Small Thing to Get By”
- 8 Conclusion
- Book part
- References
- Index
- Books in the Series (continued from p. iii)
Summary
This chapter analyzes the transformations in Argentinean society since the 1970s, describing how the symbolic and material repercussions of deindustrialization concentrated on vulnerable segments of the population. Neoliberal reforms not only undermined the means of sustenance for poor families but also dislocated much of the taken-for-granted attitudes and habits that organized life in working-class neighborhoods. Regardless of their specific experiences, respondents highlight that when jobs were plentiful life was difficult yet predictable. Residents of poor areas had a sense of what they needed to do in order to make a living, keep their relatives safe, and accumulate resources. Widespread joblessness, state neglect, and violence affected the set of agreed-upon expectations and meanings at the core of working-class culture, which allowed people to organize their daily lives and interact with each other with a degree of confidence.
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- Proletarian LivesRoutines, Identity, and Culture in Contentious Politics, pp. 29 - 48Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2022