Encontrando lo que nunca estuvo perdido. Conciencia de clase y conflicto de clases en el régimen neoliberal chileno

Abstract

In this research I examine the patterns of class conflict in contemporary Chilean society. To do so I focus on how the different social classes support dissimilar sociopolitical orientations towards several class-related issues. In particular, this research draws on the literature on class consciousness to analyze three main components of people’s class consciousness: 1) Class identity, 2) Perceptions of class conflict, 3) Attitudes toward state intervention in the economy (as this issue is a central point of neoliberal regimes). On the basis of several ordinal logistic regression models, I examine which of these components of class consciousness are more polarized. By doing so I aim to understand how class conflict expressed in the polarization of opinions and attitudes is structured in a developed neoliberal regime which –as the Chilean– is characterized by high levels of depoliticization, weak working class actors (e.g. unions,) and the practical absence of labor parties. The findings show that despite such an unfavorable scenario, social class is still a salient foundation for antagonistic ideological orientations. This may probably be the source of important political conflicts in the future.