Jóvenes, multitud y estallido social en Chile

On October 18, 2019 in Chile, thousands of young people flooded the streets to demand a fairer life, representing the start of the construction of a new citizenship. This article analyzes how these young people disputed the control of public spaces in the first months of this social upheaval. An ethnography was carried out for ten weeks between October and December 2019 in the cities of Santiago and Valparaíso, observing and interviewing mobilized young people. The results show that the young people protesting in in the street identify themselves as being part of a social awakening. The Chilean case is discussed as part of a synergy of youth revolts at a global level. The authors conclude that the young people who protest belong to a generation that questions liberal democracies as the dominant form of participation and political action.