Understanding Chilean Unrest: inequalities, social conflict and political change in contemporary Chile

From left to right: Diana Kruger, Emmanuelle Barozet and Kirsten Sehnbruch.

Date: November 28th, 2019

Why has Chile been experiencing the most explosive social protests since the country’s transition to democracy? What is behind the demands of its citizens?

On October 18th, a metro fare hike prompted widespread protests in Chile than have been ongoing. Traditionally perceived as the most stable country in the Latin American region, Chileans are now clamouring for structural changes, challenging the results of a development model that has been widely perceived as successful in recent decades.The protesters are questioning the multiple inequalities that characterise every day life in Chile. How are educational opportunities and outcomes, jobs, housing, pensions, or health services distributed? Can they be blamed on the constitution the country inherited from Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship (1973-1990)? Drawing from the researched undertaken by the Centre for Social Conflict and Cohesion (www.coes.cl) this discussion will examine the causes and consequences of the recent protests, as well as possible outcomes.

 Emmanuelle Barozet is a Full Professor at the University of Chile and Associate Researcher of COES.

Diana Kruger is an Associate Professor at Adolfo Ibañez University and Associate Researcher of the COES.

Kirsten Sehnbruch (@KirstenSehn) is British Academy Global Professor and Distinguished Policy Fellow at the International Inequalities Institute, LSE.

From left to right: Diana Kruger, Daniela Perez-Aguilar, Emmanuelle Barozet, Rafael Carranza, Kirsten Sehnbruch and Hector Ríos.