This book examines how Chilean student movement leaders achieved unprecedented political power in the post-dictatorship era, culminating in Gabriel Boric's presidency and prominent roles for other former activists. Through detailed analysis, it traces the evolution of student movements from post-dictatorship resistance to institutional governance, revealing strategies that enabled this remarkable shift from protest to executive leadership.
The chapters progress methodologically from theoretical frameworks on youth activism and social movement theory to case studies of key mobilizations including the 2001 Mochilazo, 2006 Pingüino Movement, and transformative 2011 protests. The work explores how different political trajectories—conservative, breakthrough, and emerging—shape young activists' paths to power.
By analyzing this unprecedented political transformation, the book offers vital insights for understanding contemporary social movements across Latin America and beyond. It provides innovative conceptual tools for scholars, activists, and policymakers interested in political change, youth leadership, and the dynamic relationship between street protest and institutional power.

Camila Ponce Lara holds a PhD in Sociology from École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS), Paris. She has worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Philipps-Universität Marburg, Germany, and as professor and researcher at Universidad Católica Silva Henríquez and Universidad Central de Chile. Her research focuses on youth, social movements, feminism, and extractivism. Camila Ponce Lara is Senior Researcher at the University of Ostrava, Czech Republic.