The latin american male youth experience and its connection with the radical right: Facing a conservative experience?

Abstract

This article analyzes the experience of young Latin American males, their connection to norms and values, their relationship with politics, institutions, and democracy; and their relationship with political parties. Based on an analysis of the structural conditions and production of subjectivities in Latin America, this article reflects on the affinity between young Latin American male social actors and the radical right. Therefore, this work is part of a sociological and political framework. The methodology for this research is expressed in a theoretical-comparative approach supported by a critical bibliographic review and in dialogue with secondary empirical research.Through a dialogue between integration theories, theories of control and rationalization, and theories of experience, this article examines recent empirical work on the relationship between youth experiences and conservative agendas in the region. This article demonstrates how young Latin Americans share neo-authoritarian traits regarding norms and values; a feeling of indifference, detachment, and weariness with political and democratic institutions; and also explores how resentment is an emotion that drives young males to gravitate toward the radical right. The conclusions suggest a connection between the experiences of young cisgender men and the Latin American radical right. However, it also shows how these male actors have hybrid and unique emotional experiences.