The book delves into the December 2001 food riots in Argentina, where nearly three hundred stores were looted, resulting in thirty-four deaths and numerous injuries. It highlights the involvement of Peronist activists and the notable absence of police during the chaos. Utilizing archival research, statistical analysis, and fieldwork, it offers a comprehensive exploration of the events' origins, progression, significance, and aftermath, presenting a unique perspective on the contentious political landscape of Argentina during this tumultuous period.
"Arquitecto Tucci, a neighborhood in Buenos Aires, is a place where crushing poverty and violent crime are everyday realities. Homicides--often involving young people--continue to skyrocket, and in the emergency room there, victims of shootings or knifings are an all-too-common sight. In Harm's Way takes a harrowing look at daily life in Arquitecto Tucci, examining the sources, uses, and forms of interpersonal violence among the urban poor at the very margins of Argentine society. Drawing on more than two years of immersive fieldwork, sociologist Javier Auyero and María Berti, an elementary school teacher in the neighborhood, provide a powerful and disarmingly intimate account of what it is like to live under the constant threat of violence. They argue that being physically aggressive becomes a habitual way of acting in poor and marginalized communities, and that violence is routine and carries across various domains of public and private life. Auyero and Berti trace how different types of violence--be it criminal, drug related, sexual, or domestic--overlap, intersect, and blur together. They show how the state is complicit in the production of harm, and describe the routines and relationships that residents, particularly children, establish to cope with and respond to the constant risk that besieges them and their loved ones. Provocative, eye-opening, and extraordinarily moving, In Harm's Way is destined to become a classic work on violence at the urban margins"-- Provided by publisher
This volume examines the power that can be imposed, and the misery that is
caused, especially for the poor, by the simple act of waiting. Although set in
Buenos Aires, Auyero describes a variety of different situations, including
waiting for national identity cards, for welfare agencies, and the endless
waiting for relocation from the slums.
The book offers an in-depth analysis of the December 2001 food riots in Argentina, during which nearly three hundred stores were looted, resulting in significant casualties. It explores the involvement of Peronist activists and the notable absence of police during the unrest. Utilizing archival research, statistical analysis, and fieldwork, the author examines the origins, progression, and implications of these events, providing a comprehensive understanding of the social and political dynamics at play during this pivotal moment in Argentine history.
