Ten years ago, unemployed workers movements blocking main roads in Buenos Aires became together with the middle classes’ cacerolazos the face and main forms of protest of the Argentine crisis in 2001/2002. Between the middle of the 1990s and 2001, these unemployed workers movements, the piqueteros, managed to position themselves in the center of attention of politics, media and society. At the peak moment of the crisis, the movement seemed to be unstoppable, who had a crucial impact on bringing down de La Rúa’s as well as Duhalde’s government, made efforts to coordinate different movements in the Asamblea Nacional Piquetera and was invited for talks by Nestór Kirchner as soon as he assumed presidency in 2003.
In spite of the enormous potential of the piqueteros at that point of time, the importance and support of the movement have widely diminished over the last decade − even though their original concerns, Argentina’s inequality, poverty and unemployed rates, still remain. The piqueteros’ most visible heritage, the road block, has replaced conventional strikes and is now not only used by unemployed workers movements, but by all kind of movements. It has become part of the country’s everyday life and converted Argentina into a “piquetero nation”.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
1.1 Research focus and questions
1.2 Methodology and focus groups
2 Theoretical Framework
2.1 The concept of social capital
2.2 Different types of social capital
2.3 The lifecycle of social movements
3 The emergence of the piqueteros
3.1 The beginnings of the movement
3.2 The economic crisis of 2001
3.2.1 A catalyst for the piqueteros
3.2.2 The fragmentation of the movement
3.3 The Kirchner era: A paradigm shift
3.3.1 A new official strategy
3.3.2 Implications of the new assistantialist policies on the piqueteros
4 Consequences for the social capital of the piqueteros
4.1 Adaptation of the moderate piqueteros
4.2 The radical block of the piqueteros
4.3 The rise of the consenso antipiquetero
5 Reactions to changes and the current state of piqueteros movements
5.1 The Coordinadora de trabajadores desocupados (CTD) Aníbal Verón
5.2 The Federación de Tierra, Vivienda y Habitat (FTV)
5.3 The Unión de Trabajadores Desocupados (UTD) General Mosconi
6 Conclusion: The impact of the piqueteros on Argentina’s democracy
Research Objectives and Themes
This study examines the evolution of the Argentine piqueteros movement following the 2001 Argentinazo crisis, analyzing how government strategies and the movement's own organizational changes have affected its ability to generate and maintain social capital.
- The lifecycle and transformation of the piqueteros as a social movement.
- The impact of Néstor and Cristina Kirchner's assistantialist policies on movement autonomy.
- The differentiation between bonding, bridging, and linking social capital within the groups.
- Fragmentation and internal divisions among moderate and radical piquetero factions.
- The role of local leadership and cooptation in the context of contemporary Argentine politics.
Excerpt from the Book
3.1 The beginnings of the movement
The piqueteros today are generally associated with the Gran Buenos Aires region, but initially, piquetes were mainly used from 1995 in oil-producing towns in the interior that were confronted with huge lay-offs in the course of the privatizations of companies like YPF during the 1990s4. Road blocks were not a novelty in Argentina (blocking access to factories etc. had been a means of protest for over a century (cf. Oviedo 2004: 9; Benclowicz 2010: 75)), but now became the piqueteros’ main repertory. The first road blocks during this constitution phase were of spontaneous and unplanned nature and often brutally repressed by the local police. In comparison to before, protestors had a different addressee: Participants refused to negotiate with any intermediates (like unions etc.) but the governor (Hager Galindo 2008: 31) and went back on the streets when the local government did not comply with its promises (ib.: 33). The events in the interior relate to the phase of emergence and the beginning of the coalescence period.
A second moment of emergence appears in 1998, the year which is usually seen as the beginning of a new phase of consolidation. The piquete was taken over by organizations in the Gran Buenos Aires region, a different setting affected by structural poverty as well a rising new poverty and unemployment (Petras 2009: 77). This second phase was marked by a violent turn of the protests, including several deaths, a growing number of piquetes and activists as well as greater concessions granted by the government, which meant a certain success during the coalescence period (Hager Galindo 2008: 34).
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: Introduces the Argentine piqueteros movement and the core research focus regarding its trajectory and potential for generating social capital.
2 Theoretical Framework: Outlines key concepts including social capital (bonding, bridging, linking) and the lifecycle stages of social movements.
3 The emergence of the piqueteros: Details the movement's origins in the 90s, the 2001 crisis as a catalyst, and the paradigm shift during the Kirchner era.
4 Consequences for the social capital of the piqueteros: Examines how institutionalization and government funding led to fragmentation and the rise of an anti-piquetero consensus.
5 Reactions to changes and the current state of piqueteros movements: Presents case studies of the CTD Aníbal Verón, FTV, and UTD General Mosconi to illustrate diverse adaptation strategies.
6 Conclusion: The impact of the piqueteros on Argentina’s democracy: Synthesizes findings on the movement's decline, its role in bringing marginalized groups back into politics, and the limitations of social capital in the current political context.
Keywords
piqueteros, social capital, Argentina, Argentinazo, Kirchner, social movements, road blocks, assistantialism, political cooptation, bonding social capital, bridging social capital, linking social capital, grassroots democracy, fragmentation, structural poverty.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary subject of this research?
The paper focuses on the trajectory of the Argentine piqueteros movement after the 2001 economic crisis and evaluates its development using the concept of social capital.
What are the main thematic areas covered?
The study covers the lifecycle of social movements, the impact of the Kirchner government's social programs, the internal fragmentation of the movement, and the role of leadership in organizing protests.
What is the central research question?
The research asks how the movement has operated since the 2001 crisis, how government strategies affected its evolution, and to what extent the movement currently possesses the potential to generate social capital and strengthen democracy.
Which scientific methodology is utilized?
The paper employs a qualitative analytical approach based on bibliographic research, examining scholarly literature and newspaper articles to assess the heterogeneous nature of the various piquetero groups.
What does the main body of the work address?
It addresses the transition from protest-focused movement stages to institutionalization, the negative impact of state dependency on movement autonomy, and specific case studies of major groups like the FTV and CTD Aníbal Verón.
Which keywords characterize this work?
Key terms include piqueteros, social capital, Argentine crisis, institutionalization, and movement fragmentation.
How did the Kirchner government influence the piqueteros?
The government shifted the movement's focus by providing social aid and integrating leaders into political roles, which effectively "protected" them while simultaneously encouraging internal disintegration and cooptation.
Why did the effectiveness of the "piquete" (road block) change?
While initially a powerful tool for social visibility, the road block became a routine nuisance that alienated the middle class and allowed the government to criminalize the protests via new legal restrictions.
- Quote paper
- Neele Meyer (Author), 2012, The trajectory of the Argentine piqueteros movement after the Argentinazo , Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/214905
