Neither Piqueteros nor Punteros. Processes of Grassroots Organization during Kirchnerism. The Case of the Urbanization of Villa Palito, La Matanza

Abstract

The social policies implemented since 2003 have encouraged, as never before, the creation and the empowerment of several grassroots organizations in relation to social economy and community development. The academic research has emphasized the similarities that these organizational experiences share with those of the recent past (social movement and clientelism) without sufficient research into the distinctive characteristics of thepresent period. In order to better understand grassroots organizational processes, we conducted a case study on the process of urbanization of a big informal settlement (“villa”) in the west of the province of Buenos Aires. From a relational perspective, we focus on micro processes inside the neighborhood, the formation of networks and organizations and the connections between these organizations and politics.