8. reading

Title: Patients of the State: An Ethnographic Account of Poor People’s Waiting
Author: Javier Auyero
Source: Latin American Research Review, 2011, Vol. 46, No. 1, pp. 5-29
Published by: The Latin American Studies Association
Stable URL: JSTOR Link

The article is based on six months of ethnographic fieldwork in Buenos Aires, examining poor people's experiences in welfare offices.
It depicts waiting as a site of pervasive uncertainty and illustrates how clients become "patients of the state".
The work analyzes the socio-cultural dynamics of waiting, emphasizing themes of patient compliance.

Concept of Waiting: Quoting Pierre Bourdieu, waiting is linked to power dynamics, highlighting how waiting can dominate lives without destroying hope.
Empirical Gap: Despite the importance of waiting in social contexts, its documentation in social science remains scarce.
Research Goals: To catalog and analyze behaviors associated with waiting, particularly in the context of state welfare systems.

Duration: Fieldwork was conducted over six months (August 2008 - January 2009).
Observations: Involvement in waiting rooms, noting interactions among clients and state agents. Average engagement was 3-5 hours per session, four times a week.
Interviews: Conducted 69 interviews focusing on experiences in the welfare system.

Environmental Dynamics: Describes the welfare office as a site of intense sociability characterized by uncertainty.
Client Experience: Long hours lead to experiences of confusion, arbitrariness; clients are compelled to learn patience as part of their interaction with the state.

Temporal Dynamics: Previous sociological research shows time is manipulated in settings of power, with waiting as a domain of conflict.
Power & Waiting: The article juxtaposes past sociological studies with current observations on how waiting is structured and its power implications.
Types of Waiting: Two layers are identified: the waiting within the welfare system and the cultural expectations of that waiting as symbolic submission.

Demographics: Predominantly comprised of women and children seeking aid. Many individuals cited reasons for their welfare claims such as evictions or illness.
Physical Setting: Description includes cramped conditions, lack of maintenance, and personal struggles faced by clients.
Social Interactions: Clients interact informally, share food, support each other, demonstrating relational waiting.

Milagros's Story: Personal narrative of a welfare recipient captures the distress and bureaucratic delays faced by applicants. Waiting for documents or payments fosters dependency.
Recurring Themes: Client narratives reveal ongoing emotional struggles and systemic challenges through repetitious visits, fostering feelings of futility.

Target Population: Notable gender bias exists in who receives benefits, with a focus on women, strengthening dependencies on the welfare system.
Structural Issues: Unclarity and unpredictability create powerful submissions among women seeking aid, reinforcing their status as clients rather than active citizens.

The Patient Model: Proposes a framework for understanding the welfare relationship, where waiting symbolizes broader social compliance.
Disempowerment vs. Aid: Notes the complex relationship with the state where aid is framed primarily as a support mechanism, contested with experiences of disempowerment.
Future Questions: The need for further research on how the waiting experience shapes the identities of the poor and the implications for political engagement.

Cites numerous works from Bourdieu, Hays, and others to support arguments regarding waiting, power, and welfare.