"But I've done well with these Rules of the Game". Narratives of first-time Right-Wing Protesters against Social Change in Chile

This article analyzes the narratives of the counter-movement that arose in Chile as a response to the social outbreak of October 2019, and the subsequent plebiscite for a new constitution. The focus is on those first-time demonstrators, that is, on those who did not have a previous history of militancy or political activism. The article argues that the main narrative that supports their participation in the protests is a defense of what they consider to be a just social order in society, and that it is being threatened by the mobilizations of the outbreak. They defend a social order based on the principle of deservingness and merit. We show that both notions belong to conservative and non-traditionalist currents of thought, since they are not related to positions acquired by birth. This article has been prepared by the Research Team Escucha Activa of the Center for Social Cohesion and Conflict Studies (COES), based on the analysis of 18 semi-structured interviews with first-time demonstrators who participated in the mentioned mobilizations in the months that followed the outbreak of October 2019.