Agrarian structure, primordial loyalties and class relations in Chilean neoliberalism. A case Study in the Puangue Valley, Metropolitan Region of Santiago (1975-2013)

Abstract

The paper analyzes the dynamics of agrarian social classes during the development of Chilean neoliberalism on the Puangue Valley, Metropolitan Region of Santiago (1975-2013). Transformations are first characterized from a structural perspective, followed by an analysis of class relations between actors. In relation to the dimension of social class relations, we highlight the role of primordial loyalties in the configuration of certain forms of agrarian production relations between different actors of the class structure: different types of peasants, permanent and temporary employees, contractors, agrarian capitalists and landlords. Methodologically, for the structural dimension, we analyze descriptive series of Agricultural Census, while for the angle of class experiences, we performed participant observation and semi-structured interviews; this information was processed according to key themes that facilitated categorization and relation of data.