Solidarity Narratives during the Social Outbreak in Chile: Committed Witnesses during Street Protests

Abstract

This study examines narratives of solidarity that emerged following the Social Outbreak on October 19, 2019, in Chile. Sixteen individuals who provided solidarity assistance after the onset of the protests were interviewed, and oral and photographic records were reviewed. Through content analysis, it was possible to identify various expressions associated not only with the repressive moment in which they arose but also with subsequent human urgencies. In all these actions, solidarity was a central element, serving as an ethical principle and mobilizing axis regarding the various social violations observed since October 2019 and, later, with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Two dimensions are recognized in the narratives of solidarity. On the one hand, three significant notions: “justice”, “ethical sense of professional practice” and “memory and human rights”. On the other hand, three narratives that project the meaning of solidarity from its performative, semantic and organizational expression. Finally, the narratives consistently feature a third actor, a committed witness during the street protests, ranging from communal pots to the solidarity of anonymous individuals, professional associations, universities, student centers, professionals, intellectuals, and artists.