The December 2001 protests highlighted a profound shift in politics, society, and culture in Argentina. The once-powerful labor movement was virtually absent, replaced by the piqueteros and large contingents of urban poor (along with middle-class protesters, irate over the government’s freezing of all bank accounts, the so-called corralito), who relegated the unions and the organized working class to a secondary role. Perhaps this is not surprising given the economic changes of the last quarter century, and especially those of the last decade, with an estimated 40 percent of the population now living below the poverty line (recent government figures suggesting it actually hovers around an astounding 50 percent). Not all Argentinians are living in villas or shantytowns such as the one studied in Javier Auyero’s interesting book, but it is undeniable that the once wealthy nation is now essentially a poor one, or at the very least one in...
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