State Actors and Collective Organizations: Disputes and Ways in Building award Criteria of Social Housing in Argentina

Abstract

In the last years, Argentina has launched several public policies to regulate popular urbanization processes. In this article we gathered a set of anthropological investigations, inspired by Foucault’s works on governance that have made contributions about the state and public policies, especially the works that understand policies as techniques and tactics of the government, acting on and through subjects and inhabitants. The objective is to change our focus from government institutions to the multiple places that unfold processes and state practices mainly for their effects. With an etnographical study that started in Greater Buenos Aires we analyze the building process and the problem with social housing ownership among collectively organized people and state agents. The article reveals a set of information and practices linked to the State that are learned and used by the inhabitants to extend the political research and make the population noticeable. In this process, we point out the way in which the limits between the State and society are redefined.