The Invention of Argentina

Rating:
Summary: Another view about Argentina
Review: A serious different view about Argentina.

Rating:
Summary: Argentina revealed
Review: A very accurate view of our country
The foundations of our nation from a historical perspective
Argentina demistified.

Rating:
Summary: This book is a plain offense. Consider me offended.
Review: An true insult to our Nation, our People and our History.

Surprisingly, Nicolas Shumway wrote on his book about a study named
"Jose Hernandez y sus mundos" written by Tulio Halperín Dongui:

"...albeit extensively documented and very informative, it seem to be
mainly aimed to destroy a favorite nacional icon"

Well, that seems to be BOTH the STYLE and the MAIN GOAL of his
book. Not about destroying one national icon on his case, but more
about destroying all of them at once.

Rating:
Summary: This book is a plain offense. Consider me offended.
Review: An true insult to our Nation, our People and our History.

Surprisingly, Nicolas Shumway wrote on his book about a study named
"Jose Hernandez y sus mundos" written by Tulio Halperín Dongui:

"...albeit extensively documented and very informative, it seem to be
mainly aimed to destroy a favorite nacional icon"

Well, that seems to be BOTH the STYLE and the MAIN GOAL of his
book. Not about destroying one national icon on his case, but more
about destroying all of them at once.

Rating:
Summary: Argentina: One country, differents projects.
Review: This book represents a significant contribution for understanding that complex nation which is Argentina. This is a country that has moved from being one of the more advance nations of the world at the beginning of the XX century, to a country that currently has almost half of its population under the level of poverty. This book stresses that the different ways nineteenth century intellectuals and leaders framed the idea of Argentina is a decisive factor to understand its historic development. These "guiding fictions", as the author calls them, continue to shape and inform the country's actions and concept of itself.

Through a rigorous -but accessible- analysis, the book deals with the work of the most important writers and thinkers of nineteenth century Argentina, and their ideas and images of the nation. In this endeavor, the author is free from the ideological constrains and ties which characterized Argentine "official history" -as well as its revisionist counterpart. This allows the book to openly analyze some of the figures of the Argentine history and to point out their divergent ideological legacy. Particularly interesting is chapter 3 which -for many Argentineans- might represent a "discovering" of Artigas, and his contribution for the building of Argentina. Equally remarkable are chapter 8 on Sarmiento and chapter 9 on Mitre, which stress the exclusion and divisiveness that characterized part of their legacy to the country -even though this might be difficult to accept for some of my fellow citizens, it is historically based-.

By the end of the book, the reader has the clear idea that it is difficult to understand Argentina, without understanding the different -and most of the time-, contrasting frames for imagining the country which are embedded in the old tensions between liberalism and nationalism, Unitarians and Federals, Buenos Aires and the provinces.

In conclusion, this is an excellent book for any person interested in Argentina.