“Vecinos vs. villeros”: la lucha por la definición de los modos socialmente legítimos de vivir (en) la ciudad

Abstract

Being a prominent member of the third generation of the School of Frankfurt, Axel Honneth proposes a moral theory of social struggle for recognition which focuses on the dialectical relationship between normative claims, demands for reciprocal recognition and social conflict. This author suggests a critical theory of society that emphasizes the moral categories underlying social life. These categories, in turn, raise the theoretical, epistemological and ontological question of conceiving social change and social struggle from a perspective that goes far beyond the interests that inspire struggles related to “material deprivation”. This article tries to interpret an urban conflict that took place in the city of Cordoba (Argentine) in 2005: two groups (the “neighbours” and “villeros”) were confronted by their conceptions of the legitimate ways of living the city. Honneth´s theory will guide this analysis of the struggles for recognition (forms of self-relationship and experiences of contempt). This standpoint may draw attention to the value of complementing “utilitarist” and “moral” approaches of social conflict.