"Gane usted y ayude a la Teletón”: Neoliberal management of social well-being

Abstract

This article argues that neoliberalism must also be understood from its impact on the cultural sphere, and thus it shows how governmentality functions in Chile by analyzing the case of a television program. Specifically, using a “thematic narrative analysis” and various archival sources from 1978 to the present, I examine transformations in the Chilean Teletón over time. The results are clustered into three ‘moments’ that I label sensitization, identification and action, which link a social problem with a specific way of feeling and acting. In this way, it demonstrates how the management of both individual and collective well-being is promoted through the neoliberal organization of society. Finally, the conclusions state that to this day the mediation and pedagogical role of television cannot be dismissed.