Abstract

PINTO, Mariana de Almeida  and  PAIVA, Fernando Santana de. Poverty, subalternity and ruptures: problems regarding subjects in social assistance policy. Rev. psicol. polít. [online]. 2022, vol.22, n.55, pp. 520-537. ISSN 2175-1390.

The present work aims to analyze how the "users" of the social assistance policy understand and relate to the social actions and programs. We resorted, therefore, to the use of semi-structured interviews, which included ten participants, as well as a field diary from the period of monitoring the activities developed in a Reference Center for Social Assistance (CRAS). The material built and analyzed covers the following categories: (a) Social assistance: right or benefit? (b) Social assistance and (vs) work: from (re)denial to the search for rights; (c) Dilemmas placed in the condition of "assisted": guardianship, subalternity and ruptures. The results suggest, therefore, that the historical perspective of subalternity present in the field of social assistance, which has been reinforced by the neoliberal agenda, poses challenges for the advancement of the material and subjective conditions of life of the "assisted" subjects, and may, sometimes favor psychosocial processes of resignation and compromise mechanisms of participation and social control.

Keywords : Social Assistance; Users; Assisted; Poverty; Subalternity.

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