Desafiando las bases simbólicas de la exclusión: movimientos sociales y sociedad civil

Abstract

The article draws upon Jeffrey Alexander's conceptualization of civil society and particularly, in order to be included in such sphere, groups must first be reconstructed according to the characteristics associated with the democratic code. Baued on the analysis ofthe 1985 earthauake victims movement. the artick shows how social movements contribute to the symbolic redefinition of social groups and how in so doing, movements become vehicles for the elaboration of contested discourses that challenge exclusion.