Abstract

MERENSON, Silvina. What benefits owe to rights. Class languages and self-perceptions in a group of food industry workers. Cuad. antropol. soc. [online]. 2023, n.58, pp.53-67.  Epub Nov 01, 2023. ISSN 1850-275X.  http://dx.doi.org/10.34096/cas.i58.13038.

This article explores transitions and shifts in trade union language and their connections with class self-perceptions. Our starting point involved an extensive conversation with a group of workers who, with the encouragement of their union, had recently purchased their first home in Villa Argentina. This "garden neighborhood", constructed at the beginning of the 20th century, was originally intended to accommodate the staff of the Quilmes Brewery and Malting Plant. Drawing from their experiences and actions, we analyze the agency that operates in the interplay of two key and often opposing concepts: "rights" and "benefits". On the one hand, we aim to understand the social facts that configure and dynamize their relationship within the framework of a historical process that, following a Thompsonian approach, avoids confusing classes with the social relations of production. On the other hand, we reflect on how our expectations -whether political, intellectual or academic- might impose limitations on fully grasping not only the overall situation, but also the profound transformations experienced by the popular sector.

Keywords : Social classes; Self-identifications; Trade unions; Workers.

        · abstract in Spanish | Portuguese     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )