This book explores the dynamics of the "middle-class global rebellion" born of the frustration at declining living standards. Addressing narratives constructed by different social and political agents and groups, it examines contexts of social crisis in Latin America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania, understanding the middle classes as a set of complex and conflicting political relationships. With attention to the manner in which people create "situated habits", consolidating new expectations and desires through a concrete biography, it analyzes continuities and changes in classed self-perceptions based on performative use. With new perspectives, including historical and intersectional approaches, Middle Class Identities and Social Crisis transcends disciplinary boundaries to explore the hybridity of research methods and techniques and challenge established analytical frameworks. It will therefore appeal to scholars across the social sciences with interests in class and questions of class identity.

This edited volume explores the democratic dangers posed by a political press that emphasizes electoral competition, strategy, entertainment, and what Jay Rosen calls “savviness”—praising candidates for being politically smart rather than being honest—in its coverage of a political landscape dominated by a looming authoritarian threat. Contributors document how the American and global political press have failed to fulfill their role in elections and demonstrate how authoritarians have used and will continue to use their power in setting policy before going on to suggest and develop solutions to these problems. These proposed solutions include the adoption of democracy-focused framing, solutions journalism, and solidarity journalism, all of which emphasize the needs and issues of democratic communities over candidates’ political strategy. The book’s recommendations contribute to a reorientation of journalism toward democracy and truth rather than performative detachment and forced balance. Scholars of journalism, mass media, communication, and political science will find this collection to be of particular use.

“Encargos Comunes” se presenta como un proyecto editorial que resume, a partir de tres obras de arquitectura, la práctica e investigación desarrollada por la oficina de arquitectura Taller25 en torno a esta profesión y su vínculo con la clase media contemporánea chilena. Estas obras identifican y visibilizan tres demandas sobre la vivienda: una Construcción nueva, una Reforma y una Ampliación, realizadas en comunas que normalmente se conocen como “Pericentrales” y “Periféricas” de la región Metropolitana (Lo Prado, San Bernardo y Maipú), cuyos mandantes o dueñas/os se inscriben en lo que estadísticamente se define como la clase media, transformándose así en un compendio atípico dentro de la disciplina de la arquitectura. De esta manera, la publicación propone una discusión crítica sobre la producción de la vivienda, y no de cualquier vivienda, sino de las más comunes de todas y, paradójicamente, menos abordadas desde el campo editorial y de divulgación en el área, como pueden ser las operaciones sobre la vivienda de y para los sectores medios.

After Pinochet's dictatorship ended in Chile in 1990, the country experienced a rapid decline in poverty along with a quickly growing economy. As a result, Chile's middle class expanded dramatically, echoing trends seen across the Global South as neoliberalism took firm hold in the 1990s and the early 2000s. Identity Investments examines the politics and consumption practices of this vast and varied fraction of the Chilean population, seeking to better understand their value systems and the histories that informed them. Using participant observation, interviews, and photographs, Joel Stillerman develops a unique typology of the middle class, made up of activists, moderate Catholics, pragmatists, and youngsters. This typology allows him to unearth the cultural, political, and religious roots of middle-class market practices in contrast with other studies focused on social mobility and exclusionary practices. The resultant contrast in backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives of these four groups animates this book and extends an emerging body of scholarship focused on the connections between middle-class market choices and politics in the Global South, with important implications for Chile's recent explosive political changes.

Esta obra contiene un análisis novedoso de conceptos tan relevantes como trabajo, necesidad, calidad de vida, libertad y coacción. En ella se pone de manifiesto la constante interacción entre trabajo remunerado y no remunerado, entre hogares y Estado, así como la internacionalización de estos trasvases a través de las migraciones.

Latin America’s solid economic performance since 2003 has created the possibility of transforming the state for development. This year’s Latin American Economic Outlook examines the reform of the state in this context and recommends that Latin American states act now to deliver better services.