State and social protest.

Mexico and Chile in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

This article reflects on the relationship between the State and the social protest movements in Mexico and Chile, respectively, during the Covid-19 pandemic. The starting question is what were the emerging organizational dimensions that provoked popular response strategies with strong symbolic dimensions? This analysis is necessary since the State-protest relationship was attenuated by the arrival of COVID-19. Considering that the causes of social outbreaks will not disappear, we do overview the gestated processes during this period to think about future scenarios. The reflection is based both on the Latin American political discussion and the national press. We conclude that, although both States applied control strategies through the course of the pandemic, the subordinate groups responded with counterpoint practices based on their social and cultural history.