Delegitimization of neoliberalism, depoliticization of society and the political role of imagination: Commentary on Chile, end of the myth by Alexis Cortés (2022)
Keywords:
Social outburst, COVID-19 pandemic, Neoliberal model, Sociological imagination, Social transformationAbstract
This essay reviews Alexis Cortés' Chile, fin del mito (2022), a work that addresses the links between the 2019 social outburst, the COVID-19 pandemic and the constituent process in Chile. Cortés posits that these events culminated the delegitimization of the neoliberal model, accelerated social politicization and exposed a gap between the social transformations demanded by society and their institutional translation. The analysis highlights the “constituent rupture” as a truncated historical opportunity to reform Chilean democracy, highlighting risks of disaffection and authoritarianism in a context of collective frustration. In addition, the essay explores the notion of “sociological imagination” as a key to understanding social processes and projecting possible futures, linking it to the ideas of Paulo Freire and John Dewey. It concludes that Cortés' work not only interprets the Chilean present, but also exemplifies the exercise of the sociological imagination.
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