The social question in Latin America has been depoliticized, since the 1980s, from the conception of deprivation imposed by the prevailing approaches to poverty. Although later, due to the importance acquired by the problem of inequality, the question of power could not be ignored, a perspective was imposed that has limited the understanding of conflict. In the present text and from an alternative proposal to address inequalities, where power and conflict gain prominence, we seek to re-politicize the social. In this regard, two sets of problems are addressed. The first has to do with the dynamics of deep disempowerment that the new model of globalized accumulation has generated, sustaining the (neo) liberal order, and that has led to a not inconsiderable part of the subaltern sectors being cornered in a situation of marginalization. Social. The second is that, despite this, there are responses from these sectors to resist this disempowerment and even partially reverse it. Among these responses, the following stand out: violence, migration, religiosity and collective action. It concludes with reflections on the relevance of thinking about inequalities from this perspective to see how the social, with the (neo) liberal order, has been re-politicized in a broad and profound way.

LThe first temptation that our discipline would have to avoid is to feel that it was always right, and that everything was said or predicted by past generations. Such an attitude will do little to enhance the political or cultural role of anthropology, however gratifying it may be to adopt such an attitude, especially for the elderly, that many times we feel the need to be right about something. . On the contrary, it will be necessary to change practices, routines and common places of our field, and especially in its teaching; Only in this way can we once again deserve a worthy place in the public debate.