Chilean think tank reflects on its 'ghosts' beyond the military dictatorship
The Institute of Social Studies (IES) in Chile is approaching its 20th anniversary in 2026. During the launch of its anniversary magazine, "Punto y Coma," sociologist Eugenio Tironi suggested that while the military coup and dictatorship were the defining 'ghosts' for his generation, the IES's conservative and Christian-inspired identity should confront the military dictatorship as its "never again" moment. The author, however, argues that Tironi misidentifies the IES's core concerns. While acknowledging the IES's past engagement with the dictatorship through publications like "Las voces de la reconciliación" and analyses of Joaquín Fermandois's work, the author points out that most IES members were not alive or old enough to vote in 1973 or 1988. The generation currently associated with the IES, born after 2000, has no memory of these events. Instead, their shared experience is one of 'compressed modernization' between 1999 and 2019, a period of rapid acceleration that eroded traditional certainties and institutions. The IES's formalization in 2006, the year of the "pingüina revolution," is seen as a direct response to the visible contradictions of this modernization. The author contends that Tironi errs by downplaying the significance of the 2019 social outburst, which encapsulates the deep-seated problems of Chile's modernization. The author suggests Tironi's stance reflects discomfort with his own generation's perceived capitulation to the destructive impulses of a new left during the 2019 events, a move the author characterizes as a surrender of reason and ethics.
The IES's contemplation of its 'ghosts' highlights a generational shift in national anxieties, moving from historical trauma like the military dictatorship to the systemic disruptions of rapid modernization and social change. This evolution reflects a broader challenge for institutions: adapting their foundational narratives to contemporary realities. The author's critique of Tironi suggests a tension between established intellectual frameworks and the lived experiences of younger generations shaped by accelerated change and social upheaval. This dynamic raises questions about how institutions can maintain relevance and intellectual rigor when their core reference points are no longer universally shared. The analysis prompts consideration of how societal frameworks, including those of think tanks, must evolve to address the complex, often contradictory, forces of modernization and the subsequent social and political 'outbursts' that define contemporary Chile.
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