The “Revolution of Joy”. The Depoliticizing Passion of the Macrism in the Presidential Elections of 2015 in Argentina

Abstract

The Cambiemos triumphat the end of 2015 in Argentina, usually illustrates the decline of the LatinAmerican progressive’scycle that characterized the regionin the last decade. In this scenario, the article proposes to reconstruct the “matrix of meaning” (according to Pêcheux) that was deployed as a discursive strategy by means of which the presidential candidate Macriwas positioned in this political-electoral arena in front of Kirchnerism. It is argued that such a discursive strategy was based on a paradoxically depoliticizing political use of the electorate’semotions,particularly the promise of happiness and joy, conceived as resulting from the deliberate avoidance of conflict and the exercise of critical thinking. For this, a socio-semiotic analysis of the campaign slogan “Revolution of joy” is developed, aswell as the political exploitation of the crack’s figure. The corpusis made up of various materials produced between 2009 and 2017.