A middle-class nation? The middle class and its moral boundaries in post-dictatorial Uruguay

In this article, I examine the middle class as a contested category in contemporary Uruguay and the role of moral boundaries in its formation and maintenance. I contend that amidst the economic fragility experienced by the middle class, both individuals and the state grapple with the precarious position of the middle class. In this scenario, moral boundaries function as a crucial mechanism for navigating this uncertainty. Through an analysis of parliamentary debates and public statements of politicians, I redraw how, in these discourses, the middle class emerges as a moralized national and cultural identity centering around work ethic and colonial history. Central to my analysis is an examination of the historical material and symbolic struggles that have shaped the emergence and evolution of the middle class in Uruguay. Thus, I pay attention to its formative role during the early nineteenth century in the emergence and stabilization of the nation, as well as to the impact of the dictatorship (1972–1985). Finally, I show how these notions intersect with conceptions of (un)deservingness, ultimately legitimizing increasing punitivism.