The "Social Uprising" as an Event

Toward an Analytical Reconceptualization in Latin America and the Caribbean

Abstract

This article offers a conceptual reassessment of social uprisings in Latin America and the Caribbean during the first decades of the 21^st century, seeking to contribute to their understanding beyond the classical frameworks of collective action and contentious politics. Drawing on a critical reading of approaches centered on organized mobilization and the teleological evaluation of institutional outcomes, the article proposes understanding uprisings as events that disrupt the routine temporality of politics, destabilize shared certainties, and temporarily reconfigure the relationship between the State and society. The central argument is that these processes cannot be explained solely through political opportunities or organizational strategies; rather, they require attention to the «molecular» transformations of everyday life, the social production of emotions, and the difficulties democratic regimes face in processing accumulated social discontent. The article advances an approach that incorporates the political dimension of emotions, struggles over common sense, and the affective dimensions of contemporary conflict. Finally, the article presents the contributions of the papers included in the dossier and discusses their relevance for understanding the relationship between mobilization, social uprisings, and political change in the region.