‘Fillin The Fridge’: The Transition from Individualistic to Caring Values in Imprisoned Chilean Men

Abstract

Chile is often considered an exceptional country regarding neoliberalism. Since its installation, neoliberalism has found roots in different dimensions of Chilean social reality, not only in the politico-economic sphere but, more importantly for the present work, in the cultural realm. Several Chilean sociologists theorize about cultural values and practices, suggesting consumerism as a by-product of neoliberal reforms and pointing to individualistic derivatives such as narcissism and hedonism. Which, in turn, are often associated with offending by critical criminologies. Drawing on the classical Mertonian standpoint and its revision through cultural criminology, this article explores individualistic values in marginalized Chileans, presenting accounts of imprisoned young men collected through semi-structured interviews. The findings suggest that new gender roles support the transition from individualistic values to caring purposes, and in describing the latter, this article also highlights the interplay of material and ontological deprivation as subject of exploration for current critical criminology.