Title
Argentine intellectuals as harbingers of modernity: the democratization projects of Marcos Aguinis
Advisor(s)
Heather Streets-Salter
Contributor(s)
Stephen A. Sadow, Ilan Stavans, Karin Vélez
Date of Award
2012
Date Accepted
4-2012
Degree Grantor
Northeastern University
Degree Level
Ph.D.
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Department or Academic Unit
College of Social Sciences and Humanities, Department of History
Keywords
history, Latin American history, Latin American literature, Argentina, culture, Jewish, Latin America, literature, public intellectual
Disciplines
Cultural History | History | Latin American History
Abstract
Marcos Aguinis (b. 1935) is an Argentine public intellectual dedicated to bringing democracy to his country by creating a participatory and inclusive public sphere. This dissertation traces the regional and global intellectual traditions upon which Aguinis draws and situates his contemporary contributions within their context. An integrated analysis of Aguinis's civic work as Minister of Culture and of his literary oeuvre of novels, essays, and dialogues, this study elucidates the ideological conversations both "vertical" (through time) and "horizontal" (across geographic boundaries) in which Aguinis participates as he envisions his nation's modernization. Aguinis's overarching mission is to heal a post-colonial Argentina still shackled by a Counter-Reformation legacy of religious and social homogeneity that undermines the emergence of a diverse and democratic Latin America. In this context, this study argues that Aguinis regards Argentine society's acceptance of his fellow Jews--an element of social, religious, and cultural diversity--as a litmus test of the country's modernity. Recognition of Aguinis's inspiration from and contributions to traditions of public intellectuals who define national identity provides critical insight into the global nature of modernization. In parallel, the construction of the persona of the public intellectual emerges as integral to crafting Argentina's modern identity and to engaging Argentina in a global conversation of democratization. In content and methodology, this dissertation spans the fields of intellectual history, Latin American history, literary criticism, and Jewish studies.
Document Type
Dissertation
Rights Information
copyright 2012
Rights Holder
Dalia Wassner
Permanent URL
Recommended Citation
Wassner, Dalia, "Argentine intellectuals as harbingers of modernity: the democratization projects of Marcos Aguinis" (2012). History Dissertations. Paper 5. http://hdl.handle.net/2047/d20002499
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