Politics from below: An ethnography of the political attitudes of vulnerable citizens

This article draws on ethnographic research on the political attitudes of people who have been directly affected by the economic crisis of 2008. Analyses that use survey data do not always pay the necessary attention to expressions of advanced marginalization. This article uses observation and interviewing with users of soup kitchens, support groups and housing related forms of activism (the PAH, for instance). They are addressed as vulnerable communities, a relevant issue when it comes to research design. The path that leads towards marginalization is relevant for political attitudes. The more social exclusion and poverty become chronic, the higher the chances of a permanent disconnection with politics. However, under the right conditions, politics, and activism, can become a pathway for a better reality.