Signs of democracy. Street art in Latin America

Manifestations of democratic vitality often go unnoticed because nation-states and governments are generally the sole units of analysis and the electoral processes are the only metric to gauge democracy. As a reaction, this paper  makes the case for exploring signs of democracy in the streets of Latin American cities. Its argument is twofold.

First, when artists invade public space for the sake of voicing rage and disseminating claims or statements, they raise public awareness, nurture public debate and hold authorities accountable. They can also interact with neighbors and thereby contribute to community building. Consequently, I argue that they behave as urban citizens, fostering street-level democracy despite often violating the law. Second, street art reveals how public space is governed. When local authorities try to contain, regulate or repress public space invasions, they can achieve their goals democratically if, instead of simply criminalizing their activity, they dialogue with the artists and try to reach a consensus inspired by a conception of the city as a commons.

The paper is based on five case studies: Bogota (Colombia), São Paulo (Brazil), Valparaíso (Chile), Oaxaca (Mexico) and Havana (Cuba).

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