Table Of ContentREORGANIZINGCIVILSOCIETY:POPULARMOVEMENTS,THESTATE,AND
MUNICIPALITIESINPOSTAUTHORITARIANCHILE
By
EDWARDF.GREAVES
LATINAMERICANCOLLECTION
ADISSERTATIONPRESENTEDTOTHEGRADUATESCHOOLOFTHE
UNIVERSITYOFFLORIDAINPARTIALFULFILLMENTOFTHE
REQUIREMENTSFORTHEDEGREEOFDOCTOROFPHILOSOPHY
UNIVERSITYOFFLORIDA
2002
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Iwouldliketorecognizethechairofmydissertationcommittee,professorLeslie
E.Anderson,forhereffortsinhelpingmetoobtainthefundingfortheresearchupon
whichthisdissertationisbased,andforintroducingmetothefieldofsubalternstudies.
Iwouldliketoalsoacknowledgetheinvaluableintellectualassistanceprovidedby
professorMargaretKohninhelpingmetothinkaboutthetheoreticalissuesthatthis
dissertationdealswith. Herseminarindemocratictheoryandhercommentsonmy
writingwereextremelyusefulinthewritingphaseofthisproject.
Finally,Iwouldliketothankmywifeforherceaselesshelpandsupportduringthe
timethatIspentwritingthisdissertation. Withouthertirelesssupportandlove,
completingthismanuscriptwouldnothavebeenpossible.
ii
TABLEOFCONTENTS
page
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS "
ABSTRACT vi
CHAPTERS
INTRODUCTION:POPULARMOVEMENTSANDTHE
D1ILEMMASOFDEMOCRATICDEEPENINGINPOST-
AUTHORITARIANCHILE 1
OrganizationOfTheStudy 5
Methods 6
2 IMAGININGPARTICIPATION:THESTATE,
CITIZENMAKJNG,ANDTHEDISCOURSEOFSOCIAL
PARTICIPATION 8
Introduction 8
TheState,CivilSociety,AndParticipation 10
TheProblematizationofCivilSocietyAndParticipation 18
DevelopmentalDemocracy:TheNeo-TocquevillianParadigm 22
Conclusion:SocialParticipation,Discourse,AndPower 47
3 FROMCALLAMPATOPOBLACION:THEFORMATION
OFCOMMUNITYANDTHEEMERGENCEOFTHEPASAJE 54
Introduction 54
TheUrbanRevolution:ThePasajeEmerges 55
TheCoupinthePoblacionesofHuechuraba 72
TheEmergenceofPopularEconomicOrganizations 79
TheDeclineofPopularMovements 90
4 THEDEMOCRATICMOMENT:THETRANSITIONTO
DEMOCRACYINTHEMUNICIPALITYANDTHEPOBLACIONES 96
Introduction 96
"Modernization"andCommunityOrganizations 98
TheMovementfortheDemocratizationoftheNeighborhoodCouncils 100
ImaginingDemocracyintheCabildosandthePasaje 116
5 THETWILIGHTOFTHEDEMOCRATIC
MOMENT:THETRANSITIONINTHEMUNICIPALITY
ANDTHEPOBLACIONES 127
Introduction 127
ChangesinState-SocietyRelations 128
iii
TheDynamicsofDemobilization 134
6 CHANGESINORGANIZATIONALINFRASTRUCTURE
INTHEPOST-TRANSITION 147
Introduction 147
SocialCapitalWithoutCitizenship 153
7 PUBLICSPACE,PRIVATESPACE,ANDPOPULAR
CULTUREINCHILE'SPOBLACIONESINTHEERAOF
NEOLIBERALCAPITALISM 174
Introduction 174
HegemonicStruggles:TheAntinomiesofthePasaje 186
TheArrivaloftheMegamarket 203
8 PARTICIPATION,PANOPTICISM,ANDRESISTANCE:
LAMUNIANDTHEANTINOMIESOFDECENTRALIZATION 234
Introduction:Neo-TocquevillianReadingsofDecentralization 234
The"TyrannyofDecentralization" 246
TheJanusFaceoftheMunicipality:ThePanopticonEffect 265
Conclusion:Municipalities,Discipline,andthePanopticEffect 285
9 SELF-CENSORSHIPINTHE"UNIONCOMUNAL
DEJUNTASDEVECINOSDEHUECHURABA" 294
Introduction 294
ConflictingVisionsofPoliticsandtheRoleoftheCitizen 298
PragmatistsandMilitantsintheUnionComunal 316
Power,Hegemony,andtheUnionComunal 324
10 THECONTRADICTIONSOFBUILDINGTHECIVIC
COMMUNITY:ENCOUNTERSBETWEENTHEMUNICIPALITY
ANDTHECOMMUNITY 333
Introduction 333
BuildingaCivicEtiquette:TheCommunityDevelopmentPlan 342
PLADECOsasaFormofDiscipline 362
11 THEFACESOFRESISTANCEAND
CONTENTIOUSCOLLECTIVEACTIONINTHE"MUNF 369
Introduction:TheAmbiguitiesofClientelisticRelationships 369
ContentiousEncounters 379
ShapingtheTerrainofConflict 396
12CONCLUSION 399
REFERENCES 411
iv
BIOGRAPHICALSKETCH 422
v
AbstractofDissertationPresentedtotheGraduateSchool
oftheUniversityofFloridainPartialFulfillmentofthe
RequirementsfortheDegreeofDoctorofPhilosophy
REORGANIZINGCIVILSOCIETY:POPULARMOVEMENTS,MUNICIPALITIES,
ANDTHESTATEINPOST-DICTATORSHIPCHILE
By
EdwardF.Greaves
August2002
Chair:LeslieE.Anderson,AssociateProfessor
DepartmentofPoliticalScience
Thisstudyexaminesthedilemmasofdemocraticdevelopmentinpost-dictatorship
ChilethroughastudyofpopularsectormunicipalitiesinurbanSantiago. Sincethe
transitiontodemocracyin1990,municipalgovernmenthasemergedtobecomeakey
arenaforpopularparticipation. TheNeo-Tocquevilliandiscourseuponwhich
post-transitiondemocracyisbasedsuggeststhatlocalgovernmentscanconstituteschools
forlearningcitizenshippracticesandforthecreationofacivicculture.InChile,as
elsewhereinLatinAmerica,ahegemonicdiscourseofparticipationhasemergedthatis
anchoredinNeo-Tocquevillianassumptions. Thisstudyexaminestheimpactthatthe
effortstofomentlocallevelparticipationvisavismunicipalgovernmentandtobuilda
civiccommunityhashadonthedevelopmentofanautonomouscivilsocietyanda
subalternpublicsphere. Thus,Iexaminethereorganizationofadministrativeandpolitical
spacethathastakenplaceoverthelasttwentyyearsanditsimpactongrassrootspopular
organizationsthroughthelensofFoucault'sconceptsofdisciplineandpanopticism.
vi
Thisstudyalsoexaminestheimpactthatthearrivalofthecentralinstitutionsof
globalized,neoliberalcapitalism (megamarketsandcreditinstruments)havehadonthe
developmentofcivilsocietyandthepublicsphereinthepost-authoritarianperiod. The
institutionsofneoliberalcapitalismarereshapingpatternsofeverydaysociabilityin
popularcommunitiesandthusarehavingafundamentalimpactonpopularculture.
Neoliberalcapitalismhascontributedtothegrowingprivatizationofspaceinpopular
communities,whichisreshapingthesociallandscape. This,inturn,ishavinganimpacton
politicalcultureandonparticipationingrassrootsorganizations.
vii
CHAPTER
1
INTRODUCTION: POPULARMOVEMENTSANDTHEDILEMMASOF
DEMOCRATIC DEEPENINGINPOST-AUTHORITARIANCHILE
Introduction
OnMarch11,1990PatricioAylwinAzocartookofficeastheelectedpresidentof
Chile,bringingtoanendthelongseventeenyeardictatorshipofGeneralAugusto
Pinochet. ElectedintheDecember1989electionsthattookplacelargelyunderrulesand
parametersdeterminedbythedictatorship,PatricioAylwin,alifelongChristianDemocrat,
andthecoalitionofcenter-leftpartiesthatsupportedhim(ConcertaciondePartidosPor
laDemocracia-ConcenofPartiesforDemocracy)facedseveraldauntingchallenges.
Ofparamountimportanceamongthesewasthesetofissuesthatfellunderthe
broadheadingof''finishingorcompletingthetransition"byaddressingmanyquestions
thathadbeenleftunresolvedduringthetransition:thequestionofhumanrights,
civil-militaryrelations,andmostimportantinthelongterm:thedemocratizationofthe
authoritarianpoliticalinstitutionsthatthedictatorshipleftinplaceandthecreationof
spacesforpopularparticipation. Indeed,therewasbroadagreementwithinthe
concertacionthatthetransitiontodemocracywasincomplete,andthatmanythingswould
havetobechangedinordertocompleteandfinishthetransition. Therewas,then,a
consensuswithintheconcertacionontheneedto"deependemocracy"byundoingsome
oftheinstitutionalandsociallegaciesleftbehindbythedictatorship.
Followingtheformaltransitionofpowerconcertacionplannersfacedadifficult
task:establishingclearcutdifferencesbetweenthedemocraticgovernmentandthe
authoritarianpast. Oneofthedominantthemesoftheconcertacionduringtheelection
campaignwasthatiftheconcertacionwereelectedtherewouldbesubstantialchangesin
1
2
termsofthedemocratizationofpoliticalinstitutions. Theconcertacion'scampaignslogan
"LaAlegriaYaViene"(happinessiscoming)inpartrestedonitsunderlyingrhetoricof
democraticchange,whichsuggestedthatthepost-transitionpoliticswouldrepresenta
significantdeparturefromtheauthoritarianregimeintermsofopenness,transparency,
accessibility,increasedparticipationandsocialjustice. Thecampaignrhetoricofthe
concertacionsuggestedthattheinstitutionsofstatewouldbesignificantlydemocratized
soastoallowformorecitizeninfluenceintheprocess. Indeed,increasingthepossibilities
fordemocraticparticipationandthedeepeningofdemocracy(profundizaciondela
democracia)becametwoofthedominantthemesofconcertaciondiscourseduringthe
campaign.
Althoughtherewasbroadbasedagreementontheneedto"finishthetransition"
byremovingsomeofthemoreglaringobstaclestoafullerdemocracy,withinthedifferent
partiesandtendenciesoftheconcertaciontherewerealsosignificantlydifferentvisions
surroundingthebroadermeaningofaprojectofdemocraticdeepening. Thesedifferences
werereflectedatthegrassrootslevel. However,atthegrassrootslevel,elitedemocratic
discoursewasappropriatedandtransformedtoproducedifferentconceptualizationsof
democracy.
Withintheconcertacion,thedemocraticimaginationcoalescedaroundtwodistinct
poles. Centrist(andmoreconservative)voicesinthecoalitionadoptedacommunitarian,
neo-Tocquevilliandiscoursethatwascenteredonencouraginglimitedlocallevel
participationthroughsmallcommunitybasedorganizations. Eventually,this
neo-Tocquevillianimaginarywouldbecomeadiscoursethatwouldshaperelationsof
power. Thissectoroftheconcertacion,however,didnotenvisionanymajorinstitutional
changesthatwouldchallengethecorelegaciesofthedictatorship. Instead,theirproject
calledforbuildingonthelegacyleftbehindbyPinochet:thismeantcontinued
decentralization,modestsocialreforms,andimplementingaprojectofstate
modernization.
3
Akeydimensionofthisprojectcalledfortheadoptionandimplementationofwhat
Icallthe"neo-Tocquevillian"paradigm1--fomentingthedevelopmentofanetworkof
smallgrassrootsassociationsthatwouldactatthelocallevelandbecomethebasisforan
autonomouscivilsociety. Theseassociations,itwasargued,wouldbecomespacesforthe
practiceofsubstantive,participatorydemocracy. Theleadershipoftheconcertacion
adoptedkeyelementsofthe"neo-Tocquevillian"paradigmasoneofthecornerstonesofa
projectfordeepeningdemocracy{profundizaciondelademocracia)inChile.
Theneo-TocquevillianparadigmisrootedinthethinkingofAlexisdeTocqueville,
whowroteextensivelyonAmericandemocracyinthe1830s,2andwhoseobservations
formtheintellectualheritageforasetofpremisesthatformtheunderpinningforattempts
tobuildparticipatorydemocracythroughoutLatinAmerica. Thefoundationalelementsof
neo-Tocquevillianthinkingare:decentralizedgovernmentwithstronglocalgovernments
andparticipationinsmall,grassrootsassociationsthatworkprimarilythroughlocal
government.
Oneofthepurposesofthisresearchistoassessthequestionofwhetherthe
neo-TocquevillianparadigmhasservedasavehiclefordeepeningdemocracyinChile. In
thepost-transitionperiod,however,popularparticipationandinterestinpoliticshas
declinedandexperiencedaprocessofgeneralatrophication. Participation,inshort,has
becomeritualizedandnolongerconstitutesthebasisforcollectivepowerfrombelow.
Indeed,popularparticipationhasbecomeroutinizedandchanneledintoarenaswhereitis
ofrelativelylittlerelevance. Thishasbeenoneoftheunintendedoutcomesoftheeffortto
deependemocracyandcreatespacestorpopularparticipation.
Toexplainthisoutcome,Iturntotheintellectualtraditionofanotherprominent
theorist:MichelFoucault. Whereasneo-Tocquevilliantheoristslooktothelocalleveland
Warren,Mark2000.DemocracyandAssociation Princeton:PrincetonUniversityPress
Tocqueville,Alexis1988. DemocracyinAmericaJ.P.Mayer(editor)NewYork:HarperCollins
