Contested Streets. Narratives on the Legitimate and Illegitimate Uses of Public Space in Buenos Aires City

Abstract

In the City of Buenos Aires, the sale of popular consumption goods in public spaces, carried out by the so-called “manteros” (street vendors), emerged during the social, economic and political Argentine crisis of 2001. Given the deterioration of living and employment condi-tions of the population, public spaces became a place of economic access for a large number of people excluded from the formal labour market, particularly unemployed migrants. In this article, we analyse the narratives of various political and social actors — the City of Buenos Aires Government, SMEs chambers, neighbourhood associations and the media — on the legitimate and illegitimate uses of the public space since the “manteros” first appeared in the city centre. Throughout the analysis, we see that behind these narratives lies a logic of space regulation with an expulsion and eviction focus, aimed at those subjects considered “intruders” and “invaders” of the street.