Framing protests in Peru : the resistance to terruqueo on Twitter during Dina Boluarte’s presidency, 2022-2023

Abstract

This thesis investigates how everyday people responded to the frames deployed by Peruvian elites during the protests against Dina Boluarte’s presidency at the end of 2022 and beginning of 2023, with a particular focus on the reaction to terruqueo. This frame, utilized by economic and political elites, government agents and mass media, aims to demobilize, criminalize, and delegitimize protests by invoking the collective memory of the Peruvian internal warfare (1980-2000) to portrait protesters as violent. Through the analysis of Twitter replies to posts from the accounts of congressmen, La Republica and El Comercio newspapers, and government agencies, the content analysis reveals that terruqueo functioned as a counterframe, an official frame and a media frame during the protests. In that sense, everyday people resisted to terruqueo in two ways: by drawing upon elements of collective memory to redirect blame towards politicians, media and government agents; and by questioning the broader use of the frame, including its inconsistencies and efficacy in demobilizing people. The finding of this study suggests a more dynamic outlook on social mobilization in Peru highlighting the agency of everyday people in challenging elites’ narratives