The citizen movements we are observing today can be understood as the manifestation of a social malaise that has been brewing in Chile over the last decades. Today, there is a broad rejection of the different expressions of inequality in terms of class, gender, age, ethnicity or environmental quality. People have expressed demands for access to basic rights, such as relevant and timely measures on healthcare services, quality education and transportation and decent pensions. We know that it is not easy to tackle the various economic, social, environmental, territorial, cultural and subjective dimensions that are behind this disorder. However, the current social and political scenario compels us to rethink the foundations of our daily life on the basis of a pluralistic dialogue.
The knowledge generated by the Social Sciences constitutes a valuable resource for citizen deliberation. Chilean researchers have studied the impact that material and symbolic expressions of inequality and territorial segregation have on social cohesion and welfare. These studies can help to measure the growing gap that separates people from business and political elites, understand the reasons for distrust in institutions and their potential translations into a political representation crisis or the erosion of democracy.
The President of the Republic has presented a series of proposals that could be translated into the first steps towards facing the crisis. However, the solution to the structural problems is long-term. It is within this context that we, as researchers of the Millennium Nuclei and Institutes in Social Sciences, express our willingness to actively participate in the promotion of social dialogue and reflection, in order to collectively find sustainable solutions to the various forms of injustice, exclusion and inequality that are at the root of the discontent and the social movement. This broad dialogue will promote mutual ways of life that exclude violence, rethink the role of institutions, and agree on the principles that generate a new social pact and a more just, inclusive society, respectful of its citizens and the environment.
Millennium Nucleus to Improve the Mental Health of Adolescents and Youths- Imhay
Millennium Nucleus in Social Development (DESOC)
Millennium Nucleus Authority and Power Asymmetries
Millennium Nucleus for the Study of the Life Course and Vulnerability (MLIV)
Millennium Nucleus Art, Performativity and Activism (NMAPA)
Millennium Nucleus Student Experience in Higher Education in Chile (EDSUP)
Millennium Nucleus Center of Energy and Society Research (NUMIES)
Millennium Nucleus Center for Socioeconomic Impact of Environmental Policies (CESIEP)
Millennium Institute for Research in Depression and Personality (MIDAP)
Millennium Institute for Research in Market Imperfections and Public Policy (MIPP)
MIPP Chile 2024