Youth, the pandemic, and the crisis of the State: A conversation with Pablo Semán

Abstract

As part of a visiting professorship at the Institut de Hautes Études de l’Amérique Latine (University of Paris–Sorbonne Nouvelle), Pablo was invited to Barcelona by the working group “State and Public Action” of the Catalan Institute of Anthropology. On this occasion, he was able to present several reflections on the contemporary transformations of the State and politics through the Argentine case, drawing on his most recent research, published in the collective volume El ascenso de Milei (Siglo XXI). As the title suggests, this work examines the rise of the Argentine “new right” from multiple perspectives and scales, offering reflections that emerge from a long-term, collective ethnographic research process.
The present interview with the author focuses on key elements for understanding contemporary transformations of statehood —namely, the current crisis or “ailing condition” of the State— as well as the changing relationship between certain social groups and the State in Argentina, particularly youth and the effects of the pandemic.