ABSTRACT
In this chapter I offer explicit political discourse analysis of current debates in mental healthcare in Argentina. Its theoretical aim is to argue against some Euro-/(North)American-centric political theories which place protest in opposition to dissent. I will argue that in contexts of profound inequality, such as the context in Argentina, protest and resistance are part of a repertoire of discourse activism. This theoretical definition is developed on empirical analysis of activist discourses of different movements and actors that participated in the debate of the New Law of Mental Health in Argentina and the resistances to its actual application. The concepts of dissent, protest and resistance are the overall political framework which restrain and condition discourse practices of mental health workers at public hospitals.
