num_pages: 256
description: A central motor of Argentine historical and political development since the early twentieth century unions have been the site of active citizenship in both political participation and the distribution of social economic political and cultural rights. What brings activists to Argentine unions and what gives these unions their remarkable strength? The Social Life of Politics examines the intimate personal and family dimensions of two political activist the Union of National Civil Servants (UPCN) and the Association of State Workers (ATE). These two unions represent distinct political orientations within Argentina's broad vibrant labor the UPCN identifies as predominantly Peronist disciplined and supportive of incumbent government while the ATE prides itself on its democratic horizontal approach and relative autonomy from the electoral process. Sian Lazar examines how activists in both unions create themselves as particular kinds of militants and forms of political community. The Social Life of Politics places the lived experience of political activism into historical relief and shows how ethics and family values deeply inform the process by which political actors are formed understood and joined together through collectivism.
language: English
title: The Social Life of Politics: Ethics, Kinship, and Union Activism in Argentina
publisher: Stanford University Press