Theoretical-methodological reflections for the approach to Popular Economy in Mendoza, Argentina

Abstract

This article presents a set of epistemological and methodological reflections on the research process of the Popular Economy (PE) in the province of Mendoza (Argentina). In the last decades, in Latin America in general, and in Argentina in particular, there has been an increase in the number of people working outside wage and social security standards. This group of workers engage in heterogeneous socioeconomic practices and build networks that make possible the reproduction and sustainability of life, forming what we call EP. The persistence of classical theoretical approaches in labor studies makes the complexity and uniqueness of the sector invisible. This situation, together with the absence of specific research in the province, prompted us to conduct a survey together with the protagonists of the sector in order to understand and measure the PE in the period 2020-2021. In this sense, we present co-research as the epistemological perspective that allowed us to reflect on the social construction of knowledge, the tensions that emerged and the notions that were modified along the way. Finally, we describe the methodological reflections regarding the construction of the questionnaire and data collection.