Democracy and Student Discontent: Chilean Student Protest in the Post-Pinochet Era
Objective indicators suggest that economic and political conditions improved in Chile between the country’s democratization in 1990 and 2011. Average incomes increased, poverty rates decreased, and the number of positive reviews of Chilean democratic institutions rose. Despite this progress, massi...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SAGE Publishing
2015-01-01
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| Series: | Journal of Politics in Latin America |
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| Online Access: | http://journals.sub.uni-hamburg.de/giga/jpla/article/view/900 |
| _version_ | 1818280300253282304 |
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| author | Peter M. M. Cummings |
| author_facet | Peter M. M. Cummings |
| author_sort | Peter M. M. Cummings |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objective indicators suggest that economic and political conditions improved in Chile between the country’s democratization in 1990 and 2011. Average incomes increased, poverty rates decreased, and the number of positive reviews of Chilean democratic institutions rose. Despite this progress, massive student-led protest waves in 2006 and 2011 demonstrated high levels of subjective discontent in Chile. This paper proposes a three-part explanation for the paradoxical emergence and escalation of the post-Pinochet-era Chilean student protests, and, in so doing, contributes to the broader understanding of social movements and political action. The first two parts of the argument relate to generational change. Firstly, a gap between expectations and capabilities provoked discontent amongst a new generation of Chilean students. Secondly, the new generation’s collective identity as “la generación sin miedo†(the fearless generation) motivated the students to turn discontent into political action. Thirdly, government and student actor agency influenced the variance in protest strength between 2005 and 2011. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T23:47:02Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-46891f5448c64000981c4e38a812e024 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1868-4890 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T23:47:02Z |
| publishDate | 2015-01-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Politics in Latin America |
| spelling | doaj.art-46891f5448c64000981c4e38a812e0242022-12-22T00:06:49ZengSAGE PublishingJournal of Politics in Latin America1868-48902015-01-01734984Democracy and Student Discontent: Chilean Student Protest in the Post-Pinochet EraPeter M. M. Cummings0University of Notre Dame, IndianaObjective indicators suggest that economic and political conditions improved in Chile between the country’s democratization in 1990 and 2011. Average incomes increased, poverty rates decreased, and the number of positive reviews of Chilean democratic institutions rose. Despite this progress, massive student-led protest waves in 2006 and 2011 demonstrated high levels of subjective discontent in Chile. This paper proposes a three-part explanation for the paradoxical emergence and escalation of the post-Pinochet-era Chilean student protests, and, in so doing, contributes to the broader understanding of social movements and political action. The first two parts of the argument relate to generational change. Firstly, a gap between expectations and capabilities provoked discontent amongst a new generation of Chilean students. Secondly, the new generation’s collective identity as “la generación sin miedo†(the fearless generation) motivated the students to turn discontent into political action. Thirdly, government and student actor agency influenced the variance in protest strength between 2005 and 2011.http://journals.sub.uni-hamburg.de/giga/jpla/article/view/900Political ScienceChilestudent protestssocial movementseducation300320322324Chile2005-2011 |
| spellingShingle | Peter M. M. Cummings Democracy and Student Discontent: Chilean Student Protest in the Post-Pinochet Era Journal of Politics in Latin America Political Science Chile student protests social movements education 300 320 322 324 Chile 2005-2011 |
| title | Democracy and Student Discontent: Chilean Student Protest in the Post-Pinochet Era |
| title_full | Democracy and Student Discontent: Chilean Student Protest in the Post-Pinochet Era |
| title_fullStr | Democracy and Student Discontent: Chilean Student Protest in the Post-Pinochet Era |
| title_full_unstemmed | Democracy and Student Discontent: Chilean Student Protest in the Post-Pinochet Era |
| title_short | Democracy and Student Discontent: Chilean Student Protest in the Post-Pinochet Era |
| title_sort | democracy and student discontent chilean student protest in the post pinochet era |
| topic | Political Science Chile student protests social movements education 300 320 322 324 Chile 2005-2011 |
| url | http://journals.sub.uni-hamburg.de/giga/jpla/article/view/900 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT petermmcummings democracyandstudentdiscontentchileanstudentprotestinthepostpinochetera |