[Xmca-l] USA & Chile social revolts

[David Preiss]

Dear colleagues and friends of XMCA living int he USA,

The images from the unrest in the USA are strikingly similar to those we
experienced during our own "estallido social" since last October. Our
social revolt was literally quarantined with the arrival of COVID19, and
yours started during it. These are very complex days everywhere without any
doubt.

The main issue we experienced here (previous to COVID19) was how to
understand institutional and social violence and how to protect our
democracy. Although the unrest in the USA was triggered by a new event of
police brutality, the same underlying issues seem to foster the social
protest.

There are many themes that I see there that are strikingly similar to our
situation, including the widespread crisis of legitimacy of the police
forces, which relate to issues of race, social and gender
inequality. Democracy is not working for a large majority of the
population, and is neglecting many vulnerable communities while the rich
get unethically richer. That a private company sent a rocket to the
international space station the same day that 25 cities in the USA were
under curfew summarizes all. In Chile, however, the social unrest
was channeled in a wider social movement for social reform and ended up in
an agreement to change our constitution, which was about to be voted but
COVID19 happened.

I have started to work on a project on human rights and the police (not a
topic that was in my mainstream area of research but to whom I arrived as a
part of a social concern) and will certainly be very attentive to your
thoughts on the matter as events unfold. The images of police brutality
that are in social media are very similar to those we experienced here as
well as those of opportunistic civil violence by infiltrators, looting and
so on. I really hope the social protest there achieves some substantive
change and it is not just marginalized or reduced to mere chaos.

But first of all, besides entering an academic discussion, I just wanted to
share with you all my full solidarity. These are very painful moments. We
went through them. I understand how painful they are. I share your pain and
grief.

David
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