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Symposium
*Aspirational politics? Exploring repercussions *
*of emerging middle classes in Latin America *
May 16-18, 2019
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, München
Conveners
Dr. Raúl Acosta
Prof. Eveline Dürr
Globalized trade and economic links have produced increased affluence in
countries with scarce experience of democracy, producing fragile or
precarious middle classes amid stark inequalities. While recent scholarly
interest in the growth of Latin American middle classes has begun to unpack
its history, cultural significance, and ramifications, the political
effects of this novel posterity have not been explored in depth. In this
symposium, we want to focus on the political consequences of the increasing
affluence in the subcontinent. Does the aspirational character of social
mobility bring about a distinct political compass? Or are moral assumptions
stuck in unequal arrangements? Some analyses of historical socioeconomic
dynamics in the region portrayed local middle classes as conservative and
prone to maintaining strict social distinctions. A mix of racial and
socioeconomic prejudices thus marked their avoidance of those perceived as
of lower status. Does such ethos still fit with more recent developments?
We do not seek to uncover overarching tendencies in the region, but rather
examine specific examples through ethnographic and historic detail that may
challenge established assumptions and shed light on unexamined phenomena.
Perhaps non-traditional political engagements and alliances are where some
changes are most visible. Ever more of the region’s educated, informed,
tech-savvy, and eloquent individuals have become immersed into creative
forms of activism, social entrepreneurship, and advocacy. In doing so, they
seem to be prioritizing cosmopolitan values. This begs the question: do
such developments / processes reproduce a modernization agenda with a
Western moral compass similar to that of the nineteenth century?
We call for ethnographically and historically informed analyses of
political repercussions of the emerging middle classes in Latin America. We
seek to centre our debates, but not limit them, to the following questions:
· Are emerging middle classes reshaping Latin American political
arenas?
· Have recent changes in information and communication technologies
altered long-established class relations in the region?
· Are expectations of modernity informing patterns of political
expectations in a similar way as happens with patterns of consumption?
· Are aspirations for material goods and infrastructures having an
effect on reflections and public debates about equality in the region?
· In what manner do cities concentrate changes in political cultures?
Keynote speaker: Sian Lazar (Cambridge)
Confirmed speakers:
Ricardo López (Western Washington University)
Moises Kopper (Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies)
Please send a 200 word abstract and a short bio by *October 31st *to
[log in to unmask]
Funding available for travel and stay with the support of the DFG.
Accepted proposals will be notified by November 29.
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