Cuando Chile dejó de ser una “copia feliz del Edén”: redefiniendo clases medias en trauma en la década del 70

This article focuses on the redefinition of Chilean middle classes’ identities as an after effect of their social experiences through the 1970s, as Chile passed through three historical milestones that significantly shaped the history of the country and its citizens: Salvador Allende’s Popular Unity government (UP), Augusto Pinochet’s coup d’etat in 1973, and the subsequent military dictatorship. Based on oral testimonies with middle classes members, I introduce the linkage between identity and cultural trauma which arises following the experiences of social collapse and reshaped middle classes identities. Subsequently, three expressions of cultural trauma will be analyzed in this article: the collapse of civism and its impact on daily life, the transformation of sociability customs, and cultural trauma as a potential positive force.