| Sumario: | This article uses contributions from state anthropology to analyze face-to-face interactions between political representatives and citizens in Chile, through a qualitative, ethnographic methodology focusing on meetings between two councilors, within their public service offices, and the local population. The aim is to study the link between political representation and social welfare, the ways an idea of the state is constructed on the basis of socio-political interactions, and the resources, skills and capacities used by visitors and beneficiaries to mobilize demands. Particular attention will be paid to the role of actions and emotions in the tension between public and private, hierarchy and horizontality and the creation of rights through increased expectations about the role of political representatives.
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