Becoming a Piquetero: Past, Novel and Current Routines in the Development of Activist Dispositions

• In Event: 474 - Section on Collective Behavior and Social Movements Refereed Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 06. Getting Involved, Staying Involved

Abstract

Despite substantial progress in social movement research, our understanding of activism is much more elaborate with regards to the role of ideological conversion than concerning the influence of practices. In other words, we know more about how concurring with a set of ideas sustains long-term participation, than about how engaging in certain habits lead to the same outcome. In this paper I draw on a broad sociological literature, as well as on extensive ethnographic research on the unemployed worker’s movement in Argentina, to address this issue. I argue that an essential attraction of participating in this movement is the opportunity to engage in the practices associated with a respectable proletarian ethos. Through the reconstruction of past routines, the development of new habits, and the protection of practices that are perceived as endangered, some participants enjoy their involvement in the movement, despite significant personal obstacles and even occasional disagreements with their organization’s ideas. These findings suggest that research on the relation between practices and activism can complement significantly the current literature and deepen our knowledge of social movement participation.

Author

• Marcos Emilio Perez, Colby College