Symbolic disputes around the recognition of street vending: : a case study on the organization of Independent Street Vendors of Once

The objective of this paper is to analyze the symbolic disputes over the meaning of street vending, that is, to impose the legitimate vision of the activity and to define the categories of perception of this activity. In the City of Buenos Aires, street trading is considered an illegal activity and,...

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Autor principal: Trajtemberg, Agustina
Formato: Artículo revista
Lenguaje:Español
Publicado: Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencia Política y Relaciones Internacionales. Escuela de Trabajo Social 2022
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Acceso en línea:https://catedraparalela.unr.edu.ar/index.php/revista/article/view/358
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Sumario:The objective of this paper is to analyze the symbolic disputes over the meaning of street vending, that is, to impose the legitimate vision of the activity and to define the categories of perception of this activity. In the City of Buenos Aires, street trading is considered an illegal activity and, therefore, criminalized. Its workers are involved in disputes over the meaning of work and deploy organizational strategies to guarantee the right to work. The case we analyze is that of Vendedores Ambulantes Independientes de Once (VAIO), an organization that is part of the popular economy, and that struggles for its activity to be recognized and no longer criminalized. The methodology adopted is qualitative, based on interviews with VAIO’s representatives and street vendors, participant observation at the organization’s premises and in the streets of Once where they carry out their work, and documentary work. We argue that street vendors perceive themselves as workers of the popular economy and thus seek to dispute the categories of perception, in order to assert their occupation as a legitimate job.