What is authentic is also public. Understanding of the public space from the middle classes in Chile

Abstract

In this article, with qualitative evidence from Chilean middle classes, we discuss the pessimistic views of Richard Sennett about the future of the public space. Based on our recent research, we propose three interpretative keys –the intermittent transition from public to private, the tensions generated between them and finally the demand for authenticity as a way of appealing to the public– to understand the articulation between public and private spaces in everyday life. Though we find evidence to support Sennett’s ideas about the predominance of private over public space, we see that the recent history of Chile also has forced individuals and families to take charge of public concerns from their private spaces.