“I Embrace You with the Affection and Loyalty of Always”: Personalism and Exchange in Argentine Populism

Abstract

R e s u m e n Este artículo examina una acusación de traición dentro del Movimiento Kirchnerista de Argentina, en los meses previos a las elecciones presidenciales de 2015. La presidenta, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, líder del Frente para el Partido de la Victoria, no podía postularse para la presidencia después de servir dos mandatos consecutivos. Para evitar una elección primaria disputada, le pide un favor a su querido asesor, Florencio Randazzo, quien, a su vez, se niega a llevarlo a cabo. La negativa de Randazzo es considerada como una traición abyecta por muchos kirchneristas. Asimismo, muchos kirchneristas simpatizan con la situación de Randazzo, creyendo que Kirchner había maltratado a su leal funcionario y no lo contrario. La valorización de la lealtad de ambas partes inevitablemente conduce a una obsesiva preocupación por la traición. Apelando a las teorías de reciprocidad e intercambio para investigar la dinámica tensa entre la jerarquía y el igualitarismo en la política kirchnerista, este artículo muestra cómo las diferentes interpretaciones de las acciones de Randazzo y Kirchner exponen la lealtad y la camaradería populistas al ser inherentemente precarias. [Kirchnerismo, populismo, Argentina, lealtad, traición]

Femme populism: Vulnerability and desire in Argentine political aesthetics

“…The leader, standing in for the totality of "the people," obscures the reality of social heterogeneity. In the case of Cristina, she presides over a broad and heterogeneous coalition-a polyclass alliance that has proven, at moments, to be quite tenuous (see Fierman, 2020Fierman, , 2021aFierman, , 2021b. For Sánchez, the formation of "the people" out of the "inherently modern, mobile, heterogeneous, and government-aversive populations" of the Latin American postcolony is intrinsically authoritarian.…”

“…She was standing for reelection against her own personal desire because she valued the well-being of "the people" more than her individual happiness. Thus, Cristina's decision to run for reelection was viewed by many of her most ardent followers as a profound sacrifice (see Fierman, 2020). Not only had Cristina lost her husband-who had sacrificed his health by exhausting himself in the service of "the people" by continuing to participate in national politics after, as my militant interlocutors contend, he was told to slow down by his doctors.…”

“We Are Peronists, We Are Organic”: Discipline, Authority, and Loyalty in Argentine Populism

“…As in my other published work on Peronist militancy (Fierman 2020(Fierman , 2021, I translate the Spanish word "militante" as "militant" rather than activist to properly convey the passionate commitment of the interlocutors interviewed and described in this article. It is worth noting that Laclau argues that a populist movement may "present a class as a historical agent of the people's interests" (Laclau [1977] 2011, p. 165), but "the people" does not exclusively represent one single class in a class struggle.…”