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Indictments, Myths, and Citizen Mobilization in Argentina: A Discourse Analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Ariel C. Armony  and
Victor Armony
Ariel C. Armony
Affiliation:
Colby College
Victor Armony
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology at the University of Québec at Montreal
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Abstract

Most accounts of the turmoil that shook Argentina in 2001–2 focused on the harmful impact of the financial environment, imprudent policymaking, and institutional weaknesses. These explanations paid little attention to the cultural frames and cognitive patterns that underlie the connection between civil society and political society. Based on a discourse analysis of Internet forums and presidential speeches, this article argues that the Argentine crisis cannot be fully grasped without considering the link between collective behavior and ingrained conceptions of national identity. The analysis finds that national myths and definitional questions of national purpose are key factors in the way citizens behave in the context of an economic and political crisis.

Type
Research Article
Information
Latin American Politics and Society , Volume 47 , Issue 4 , Winter 2005 , pp. 27 - 54
Copyright
Copyright © University of Miami 2005

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