“Hooking the things in common”: Affects and gender regulation in youth social inclusion programs in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Abstract

In this paper I explore the affective dimension involved in the participatory processes orchestrated by youth social inclusion programs aimed at young poor women in urban Buenos Aires. Through an ethnographic analysis, I examine how those processes, organized around affective repertoires linked mainly to emotions like pain, discomfort, indignation, and solidarity, embody an exercise of gender government. For this purpose, on the one side I analyze the institutional proposal aimed at young women building autonomous “life projects” as a result of their participation in the programs. Also, I inquire into the young women’s responses to the affective production that is aimed at building themselves a future, which is regarded as key by the programs in order to reach their social inclusion.