Affirmative Biopolitics and the Reconfiguration of Social Work Practice from NGOs During the Dictatorship in Chile

Abstract

The foundational nature of the civil-military dictatorship in Chile (1973-1990) and its repressive actions transformed the rules of social coexistence for the last half-century, profoundly affecting actors within the Popular Unity parties’ coalition, including social workers and their state allies, and class-based organizations. This scenario was characterized by the shrinking of state social action, the dismissal of professionals from their jobs, the repression of class-based organizations, and the institutionalization of the neoliberal model, which reconfigured the practice of social work. In this context, NGOs emerged as alternative spaces for intervention, fostering knowledge production and the development of professional networks, allowing for professional subsistence and advancement outside the state. They facilitated connections with social movements, promoting an affirmative biopolitics oriented toward the sustainability of life, in defense of life against state violence. The local development initiatives implemented worked as micro-spaces of democracy, which, in interaction with the dynamics of social movements, contributed to the reconstruction of the social and political fabric, promoting forms of affirmative biopolitics. This enhanced the recognition and visibility of Social Work in the production of critical knowledge. Following the dictatorship, NGOs became linked to the State and underwent institutionalization within neoliberal policies, resulting in a loss of autonomy and subordination to market forces in the implementation of social policies.