Hi everyone,
I'm sure many have followed the election in Chile. It was historic. Not
"just" because it means the writing of the new constitution will
continue which will have the potential to re-draw the political map
(finally stepping out of the long shadow of Pinochet) and the dynamics
unfolding on it. But also because Boric, from what I understand, really
is a candidate of social movements, coming out of a decade of student
struggles and 3 years of popular protests against neoliberal austerity.
It is a testimony to the depth of these struggles that they survived the
pandemic as an active social force.
Being a social movement candidate, the mobilization of many different
groups as active players in the campaign played a large role, and this
mobilization was largely done over social media, with videos, hashtags,
and memes. This is not to suggest that Boric is a social media
candidate, he clearly is one of social movements, but it is still
helpful to counter the somewhat self-defeating attitude that social
media amplify only "fake news" and the far right.
These are, of course, hugely problematic companies, but I think it's
better to say that social media amplify social energy and for the last
couple of years, particularly in the US and Europe, the right was far
more energetic than the left.
What this election seems to indicate -- similar to the Corbyn Campaign
in the UK and the municipalism in Spain -- is that positive (in the
sense of having a vision, rather than just an enemy) social energy is
built in a hybrid way, that large social mobilization are necessary for
creating an understanding of a collective situation, but the social
media campaigns can enable a new articulation of the way on which large
numbers of people are embedded in the political process as
self-articulating actors, rather than just spectators or "rank-and-file".
But I'm sure there are people who are much closer to the events in Chile
and who can speak with more knowledge about the mobilization during this
campaign. I would be curious to hear from you.
Felix
https://www.democracynow.org/2021/12/21/chilean_activists_on_gabriel_boric
Javiera Manzi, an activist with Chile’s largest feminist advocacy group.
It’s known as the Coordinadora Feminista 8M, March 8th, International
Women’s Day.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And could you talk about the coalition Boric is a part
of, the “I Approve Dignity” coalition, what political movements are
represented within it, and the importance the student movement in
propelling volunteers and activists for that coalition?
JAVIERA MANZI: Yes. Apruebo Dignidad is a platform, a left platform, a
very diverse platform, as well, that has a progressive agenda. And, for
us, it’s important to say that it’s not only their victory. It’s a
victory of people who never went to vote before. You see, this is the
election with the most votation since the vote is voluntary here in
Chile. And even though we can see the diversity there, and we can see,
of course, the extent of the — and the diversity of different social
movements even in Apruebo Dignidad but also outside the Apruebo
Dignidad, that in a unity made possible this victory. For us, it’s very
important to say that this is a victory of a way of a radical tenderness
of the people and the aim of a radical transformation, and that feminism
as well as environmental movements are in the — we are working towards
that justice, social justice and social transformation.
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