Power and resistance in the shaping of argentine domestic policy

Abstract

In contemporary Argentina, as in much of Latin America, politics is often found in the streets. In recent years it has bypassed traditional political party politics to bring day-to-day needs to the forefront through road blockades and cacerolazos (pot banging). These methods have been particularly successful in Argentina, not only in changing policy but also in bringing down administrations and politicians. They emerged from the 2001 Argentinazo's repertoire of assemblies, demonstrations, riots, looting, and sit-ins as the primary tactics for actors participating in protests in Argentina today. The continuity of resistance in Argentina is a concrete example of Foucault's notions of power and resistance in practice.