"They appeared one morning and took us all out." Comparative approach of two cases of antagonism between the State and migrants due to the legitimacy of work in popular fairs in Mendoza (Argentina)

Abstract

In this paper we propose a comparative approach, with multilocal etnography, of two cases of antagonism between the state and the sellers in the province of Mendoza: one in the urban space and in a context of progress in migratory and labor rights; and the other in a rural territory and facing a clear setback in terms of rights throughout the national territory. Even though these forms of trade in the Andean region are an institution for its population since the pre-hispanic period, the Argentine state at its different levels has not recognized it as a form of 'work' and has sanctioned it through various regulations, exposing the sellers to multiple modalities of antagonism and confrontation with the security forces. Specifically, this exercise will allow us to highlight both the details of an activity that is not very visible in the field of labor studies in the region, and the way in which the spatial and normative context conditions the legitimacy of these popular economies.