When all they thought was solid melted into air: Resisting pauperization in Argentina during the 2002 crisis

This paper examines the actions that millions of “new poor” Argentines took when confronted with impoverishment during the country’s economic crisis in 2002. Drawing upon World Bank and Latinobarómetro data, it explores how their distinct understandings of citizenship, possession of certain human, social and financial capitals and aspects of their middle-class identity shaped the very specific forms of resistance that they adopted compared to the structural poor. It provides insights into why some citizens perceived their hardship as a political problem, formed collective grievances and manifested their resistance through protest, while others located its causes in their own deficiencies so confined their responses to individual self-improvement strategies. It also finds that differences in personal biographies, experiences of poverty and the diachronic spaces available to protest influenced individuals’ choice of action. The paper concludes by reflecting upon the implications of these findings for future research into how middle-class citizens resist pauperization.