On 18 October 2019, Chile felt the first tremors of a social crisis that would rock the country over the coming months. Based on a series of focus groups, this article offers an unprecedented overview of the collective emotions that surfaced during the upheaval. The uprising served as an emotional detonator that triggered spiralling distrust of power, of the economic elite, and of the ideological notion of meritocracy. Over the course of the movement, the word pueblo re-emerged in the social narrative, along with a sense of hope in the potential for collective solutions, and new opportunities for discussion of problematic issues which for many years had been the subject of resigned acceptance. This surge in discussion is key: in order for the uprising to lead ultimately to meaningful social change, it is vital that the Chilean people listen to one another and, in particular, to those in less privileged positions.
“People were frightened; they would talk in whispers (...) but now the students... they’ve found the power to stand up and say, “No! We’ve had enough!”
