Better to die on your feet fighting than on your knees begging

Abstract

The following work aims to understand why the retirees of the Central Nacional de Jubilados y Pensionistas del Perú (CENAJUPE) organize politically. There is a wide literature that has placed older adults as passive subjects. However, this organization demonstrates an atypical and particular case in the Peruvian context. The findings show us that the main motive for their organization is what we have called a “Politicized Waiting”. In other words, retirees actively wait for their pensions to rise, which can be reflected in their marches, sit-ins, complaints, etc. Thus, this wait is sustained due to the existence of two gestures: the small achievements they have obtained and the hopes in the new leaders. In addition, there are two other factors that contribute to the organization lasting: on the one hand, resources that enable and/or limit its organization (union experience, connection with other organizations, family support), and, on the other, non-political reasons (the “being active” of retirees and the support network) that help retirees continue to participate actively despite not having yet achieved their main objective: raising their pensions.