La España invisible

Contemporary society has achieved unprecedented material development, and yet the quality of life has decreased in large sectors of the population, thereby increasing social unrest. So much so that in the United States "death from despair" is affecting the working class, and the effects of the pandemic and the successive economic crises only make the phenomenon worse. In Spain, there are different mechanisms to make this discomfort invisible, such as the expulsion of the homeless from urban centers, the uncritical promotion of the culture of effort or the normalization of inequality. In a magnificent combination of essay and chronicle, Sergio C. Fanjul gives voice to precarious workers, the homeless, those who are forced to occupy a home owned by an investment fund, those who are attacked by the streets victims of aporophobia... In his exploration, Fanjul testifies about the urban segregation that makes the lowest parts of society invisible, visits the shelters where those who have nothing try to survive and records the weakening of the union organization, which has given way to a post-Fordist work culture. An intrepid journey through the invisible Spain that is not part of the popular imagination, clouded by the promises of meritocracy, competitiveness, individualism, indifference and positive thinking.