In the Edge of the People. Notes on Political Polarization during the “Conflict of the Rural Sector” in 2008

Abstract

This work presents a theoretical reflection on political polarization, focused on a specific context such as the “conflict of the rural sector” in Argentina during 2008. It aims to nuance the usual characterizations of polarized scenarios, understood as unilateral decisions by an actor that divide the community in two, or as the presentation of political alignments in a paratactic and intransigent manner. Based on discursive analysis of various political actors involved in that process, we propose conceptualizing polarization as an effect of the existence of overlapping spaces and shared elements, rather than an insurmountable gap between opponents. Our hypothesis holds that the polarization of 2008 constituted a particular form of political difference, grounded in a shared logic of community representation, in which a legitimate place for the “people” and a place for the “power” are identified as responsible for the lack of fullness.