Four Keys to Chilean Culture: Authoritarianism, Legalism, Fatalism and Compadrazgo

Abstract

In this paper, the authors explore some of the characteristics that stand out in social dynamics in Chile and which can be understood as structuring ‘Chilean culture’, particularly amongst the population in the middle region on the country, between the Fourth and the Tenth Region; that is to say between La Serena and the Great Isle of Chiloe . The paper comprises six sections. The first section provides a brief introduction to Chilean culture, contextualising it in the framework of the Latin American Region. The second section discusses paternalistic authoritarianism in social relations; the third section addresses legalism, arguing that in Chile, legalism implies a tendency to generate formal mechanisms to avoid uncertainty and accountability regarding the consequences of decisions; the fourth section discusses the tendency towards fatalism and conservatism and these traits coexist with double discourse; the fifth section discusses the construction of social dynamics, focusing on the influence of nepotism, friendship and compadrazgo in relational patterns. Finally, the sixth section provides a final reflection of how the traits and characteristics described frame what could be understood as ‘Chilean culture’ and result in particular dynamics within Chilean society.