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“The state is something that disappoints”: legal consciousness amid institutional dissatisfaction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2024

Mayra Feddersen Open the ORCID record for Mayra Feddersen [Opens in a new window] ,
Javier Wilenmann ,
Julia Cavieres  and
Maite Gambardella
Mayra Feddersen*
Affiliation:
School of Law, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile
Javier Wilenmann
Affiliation:
School of Law, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile
Julia Cavieres
Affiliation:
Social Sciences, Universidad Diego Portales, Santiago, Chile
Maite Gambardella
Affiliation:
Legal and Legislative Division of the Ministry General Secretariat of the Presidency, Chilean Government, Santiago, Chile
*
Corresponding author: Mayra Feddersen; Email: mayra.feddersen@uai.cl
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Abstract

Through the lens of legal consciousness, this paper analyzes institutional dissatisfaction within the backdrop of profound skepticism directed at formal institutions, particularly within the context of post-October 2019 Chilean society. It aims at inquiring into the relationship between the expression of deep state antipathy and the stance that individuals manifest regarding legality. The paper reports on the findings derived from 12 focus groups, categorized by age, gender and location. We find that despite prevalent negative sentiments harbored by individuals toward these establishments, interviewees continue to use the language of law, expressing their dissatisfaction as frustrated formal entitlements or a lack of enforcement of the law regarding corrupt elites. We conclude that the existence of a gap between normative expectations and the acute rejection of the fulfillment of those expectations by institutional actors points to a structure of opportunities conducive to the emergence of more authoritative forms of state power.

Keywords

legal consciousnessinstitutional dissatisfactionstate antipathylegalityeveryday liveslegal alienationstate authoritylegal hegemonysocial unrestinstitutional consciousness

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Type
Article
Information
Law & Society Review , Volume 58 , Issue 1 , March 2024 , pp. 69 - 94
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© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Law and Society Association.

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