Temporal dynamics and complex causality in Chilean contentious politics

Abstract

This article advances a framework for understanding the long-term effects of contentious politics by foregrounding temporality and complex causality. While temporality has gained prominence in the literature, particularly in research on memory and impacts, dominant approaches often assume that movement effects dilute as time horizons expand, limiting political influence to the short term and to processes of institutionalization. This article challenges these assumptions by proposing the metaphor of time travel as a heuristic device for rethinking causality, agency, and change. Used analytically, the metaphor highlights alterations and interruptions of existing temporal lines of conflict, and the emergence of new ones. The framework is illustrated through a longitudinal analysis of four major episodes of contention in Chile, spanning from the democratic transition of the early 1990s to the estallido social of 2019. The analysis shows how grievances, repertoires, and political expectations travel across time through shifting carriers.