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In this study of four Argentine artists who helped make up Los Artistas del Pueblo (The People's Artists), Patrick Frank examines social realism in that country's art. He contends their work constituted the first movement of social realism in Latin American art.

Los Artistas del Pueblo includes art history as well as the historical context in which the group worked. In Argentina, the years 1912 to 1930 are generally regarded as a "Golden Age," when the country was among the world's most developed. Yet Los Artistas saw many gaps: poor working conditions, restrictive labor legislation, dilapidated housing, and disenfranchised immigrants who made up half of the capital city's population. The artists shunned the formal circuit of galleries, preferring to show their solidarity with the workers through displays of protest art in union halls, community centers, and Socialist party libraries. Their prints were intended to stir sympathy for the less fortunate and to motivate workers themselves to action.

Frank places a major focus on how the movement began and how their rejection of modern art was based in their conviction that the function of art was to speak directly to the masses, emotionally and politically. ... Read more

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Architecture/Race and Ethnic Studies

The first sustained examination of the hidden and explicit ways racial ideology is expressed in the built environment.

Mapping the relationship between race and architecture, the authors of this volume explore the vexed if often unspoken ways in which notions of "difference" figure in the shaping of the built environment. The terms of architectural design and study-"space, site, form, architect, and user"-are derived from the historical task of adapting space to an existing socioeconomic structure. Exposing the racial subtext in this language of vision and logic, this book brings to light the complex connection between the question of identity and the questions architecture poses: Whose pleasures are pursued, who gets to build what, whose histories and experiences are represented, whose voice is heard?

The heavily illustrated volume is structured by scale: from the scale of the urban (1:125,000) to the "middle" scale of 1:1,250 (exile, "in-between-ness") to 1:1, the scale of detail, the intimate, the personal. The authors, working from a wide variety of backgrounds, take up topics ranging from Victorian attitudes toward racial hierarchy to a rereading of the Argentinean urbanscape through tango, from the disintegration along racial lines of the contemporary U.S. city to the racially polarized profession of architecture in South Africa. Whether investigating issues of black spatial identity or tracing the visual-textual-material threading of race through an architectural project, whether focusing on Europe in the 1400s or Australia today, their work reclaims a hidden cultural experience built into the very walls that frame our lives.

Contributors: Araya Asgedom, Hampton U; Ana Erradonea Betancour, University College, London; Kwasi Boateng, Southbank U and U of Science and Technology, Ghana; J. Yolande Daniels, U of Michigan; Felecia Davis, Cornell U; Kim Dovey, U of Melbourne; Peter Hasdell, University College, London; Edward Ihejirika, Kingston U; Jane M. Jacobs, U of Melbourne; Mathilde Lochert, U of Melbourne and RMIT University, Australia; Chris Nasah; Malindi Neluheni; N. Ola Uduku, U of Liverpool; Mitchell Squire, Iowa State U; Michael Stanton, American U, Beirut; Imogen Ward Kouao, U of East London.

Lesley Naa Norle Lokko is assistant professor of architecture at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Translation Inquiries: Athlone ... Read more

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This study focuses on a discussion of the evolution of Argentine demographic policy as expressed in the dictum "to govern is to populate" and its impact on the role of the Afro-Argentine in an historical context. The Afro-Argentine role in Argentine culture is presented as part of the elite-defined culture, the liberal elites' views of the Afro-Argentine and the aftermath of Juan Manuel de Rosas with its changes to the cultural images of the Afro-Argentine. In contrast, the Afro-Argentine is also presented as part of the Argentine popular creole culture within a construct that discusses the issue of how site-specific Argentine culture is, and the impact of site definitions on the cultural contributions of the Afro-Argentine. Creole popular cultural expressions of the Puppet Theatre, the theatre, and the circus highlight the conflicts between immigrant and creole where the Agro-Argentine is clearly defined as a creole and not as a separate cultural entity. ... Read more

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Argentina fell in love with movies as soon as they were first exhibited in 1896. Even before World War I, Argentina was one of the biggest film markets in the world and continues to be a major film market today.

This history of the Argentine film industry—starting with the earliest film exhibitions in 1897—covers film music, broadcasting, the introduction of film with sound, the impact of the American film industry on the Argentine, the industrialization of Argentine film, Hollywood films in Spanish, the tango in film and local stars. Reference material includes filmographic information and reviews from numerous publications. Photographs offer a look at film stills, promotions, and the people involved in the industry, and an index provides quick access to names and titles. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Very dry textbook approach to the period between 1896-1939
My favorite films of the past ten years or more have come from Argentina.So, I was eager to get this book and learn more about the Argentine film industry.

The book, which covers two of my favorite topics - movies and Argentina, has a very dry text and barely held my interest.Perhaps I wanted to hear more gossipy items about Carlos Gardel, or the rivalry between Eva Duarte and Libertad Lamarque.Dish some dirt on Mirtha Legrand. Instead this reads like a film student's thesis, examining the earliest days of cinema from the first public exhibition at the Odeon Theater in Buenos Aires on July 18, 1896 through the 1930's.I would have preferred the author to concentrate (exclusively) on what was going on within the Argentine film industry and spend a lot less time on "compare and contrast with Hollywood". It spends far too much time on Hollywood and the local Bs As reaction to imported product.

Apparently the direction taken during the early days was to use film as an educational tool rather than a vehicle for mindless stories (though there were some of those, too).According to the author, the biggest draw in getting people into the cinemas was the popularity of tango and the growth of broadcast radio.People went to the theaters not because the films were so interesting, but because the theaters employed tango orchestras to play during the silent features.When sound entered, the orchestras left - and so did a large portion of the audience.Despite his photo on the cover, relatively little time is spent on international mega-star, Carlos Gardel, and the impact of his untimely death in 1934.

If you're interested in an highly academic approach to the early history of the Argentine film industry, you will love this book.(That would also explain why this slender paperback, published in English in the USA,- not an import - is priced like a college textbook instead of a general interest book.)If you're looking for something more conversational, or something that will give a better understanding of how Argentine cinema arrived at its current (second) Golden Age, then this book will disappoint. There is no mention of anything after 1940; so, for me this didn't connect the dots.

Two and a half stars (mostly because there are a lot of photographs).
... Read more

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This book tells the story of Sur, Argentina's foremost literary and cultural journal of the twentieth century. Victoria Ocampo (its founder and lifelong editor) and Jorge Luis Borges (a regular and influential contributor) feature prominently in the story, while the contributions of other major writers (including Eduardo Mallea, William Faulkner, André Breton, Virginia Woolf, Alfonso Reyes, Octavio Paz, Waldo Frank, Aldous Huxley and Graham Greene) are discussed. Politically speaking, Sur represented a certain brand of liberalism, a resistance to populism and mass culture, and an attachment to elitist values which offended against the more dominant phases of Argentine thought, from Peronism to the varied forms of nationalism, socialism and Marxism. Dr King examines the journal's roots, its development and its demise, relating it to other journals circulating at the time, and highlighting vital issues debated in its pages, such as Argentine attitudes towards fascism during the Second World War. ... Read more

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An essential study of Borges as a Latin American writer.Jorge Luis Borges is generally acknowledged to be one of the twentieth century's most significant writers. Yet in all the critical debates on his work, the fact that he is Argentinian is rarely discussed, as if his international reputation had somehow cleansed him of nationality. In this brilliant introduction to his work, Sarlo challenges these "universalist" readings, arguing that they leave aside vital aspects of Borges' writing, including his powerful vision of Argentina's past and its traditions, which placed both the writer and his country at the intersection of European and Latin American culture. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

El canon argentino del siglo XX
Mi nombre es Guillermo y vivo en Buenos Aires, Argentina.Espero que este libro sea comprado por mucha gente porque para nosotros sería más que interesante que en el mundo sean leídos dos de nuestras figurasintelectuales más influyentes de nuestro siglo. ... Read more

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During the 1990s Argentina was the only country in Latin America to combine radical economic reform and full democracy. In 2001, however, the country fell into a deep political and economic crisis and was widely seen as a basket case. This book explores both developments, examining the links between the (real and apparent) successes of the 1990s and the 2001 collapse. Specific topics include economic policymaking and reform, executive-legislative relations, the judiciary, federalism, political parties and the party system, and new patterns of social protest. Beyond its empirical analysis, the book contributes to several theoretical debates in comparative politics. Contemporary studies of political institutions focus almost exclusively on institutional design, neglecting issues of enforcement and stability. Yet a major problem in much of Latin America is that institutions of diverse types have often failed to take root. Besides examining the effects of institutional weakness, the book also uses the Argentine case to shed light on four other areas of current debate: tensions between radical economic reform and democracy; political parties and contemporary crises of representation; links between subnational and national politics; and the transformation of state-society relations in the post-corporatist era. Besides the editors, the contributors are Javier Auyero, Ernesto Calvo, Kent Eaton, Sebastián Etchemendy, Gretchen Helmke, Wonjae Hwang, Mark Jones, Enrique Peruzzotti, Pablo T. Spiller, Mariano Tommasi, and Juan Carlos Torre. ... Read more

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The complex relationship between nationalism and masculinity has been explored both historically and sociologically with one consistent conclusion: male concepts of courage and virility are at the core of nationalism. In this book, the author questions this assumption and advances the debate through an empirical analysis of masculinity in the revealing contexts of same-sex (football and polo) and cross-sex (tango) relations. Because of its rich history, Argentina provides the ideal setting in which to study the intersection of masculine and national constructs: hybridization, creolization and a culture of performance have all informed both gender and national identities. But this book takes the analysis far beyond national boundaries to address general arguments in anthropology which are not culture-specific, and the discussion poses important comparative questions and addresses central theoretical issues, from the interplay of morality and ritual, to a comparison between the popular and the anstocratic, to the importance of 'othering' in national constructions - particularly those relating to sport. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Archetti's masculinities
Eduardo Archetti's book, Masculinities: Football, Polo, and the Tango in Argentina, is the anthropological study of generalizations in Argentine society and how those are used to build a nationality.The theme of hybridization runs throughout his book as he examines how through the mixing of different cultures, a unique identity could be formed.He looks at sporting as an example of this.
His conclusion is that through each activity Argentina was able to give something to the world or to themselves.Through Football Argentineans created their own style; In Polo, they were able to export their ponies; and through the poetry of the Tango they were able to embody the Argentine man's moralities.
The bulk of his research was done through conversations with informants and historical references such as newspapers and men's magazines.He desires to focus on the masculinities of the nation, but does not draw any concrete conclusions to the questions he asks.Overall, one gets a sense of nationalism and Argentinean identity through the book

Hybridizing Sport and Dance Into National Identity
This book examines the historical role of the male in Argentina, a country of tradition and immigration, the combination of which Archetti terms "hybridization." Filtering these themes through the examples of the man-man relationship in football, the man-horse relationship in polo, and the man-woman relationship in the tango, he tries to find the national identity of the Argentine man and establish his place on the international stage.
Archetti first introduces the idea of hybridization, tracing modern Argentine social makeup from the Spanish conquest in the early 16th century, which created the traditional Creole culture, through the European immigration of the early to mid 20th century, the environment in which football, polo, and the tango were all hybridized into something distinctly Argentine in style. Examining first football, he traces the "Argentine style" of creativity, especially dribbling, to the barrios, or small neighborhoods of Buenos Aires, where boys learn the game on the streets. This style matured into the individualistic football of the Argentinean national team, which came to be a world power, exportable to Europe. Polo, the game of the elite, is reviewed in similar terms. Archetti notes the importance of the Gaucho, the Argenine cowboy, in the development of polo jockeys and ponies. He then develops the idea of masculine moralitites in Argentine society, and ties them into the male-female relationship displayed in the tango, which developed in the early 20th century in Buenos Aires cabarets. Returning to football, the most important aspect of masculinity and nationalism in the book, Archetti looks at the male pride in the national team, especially their style and aesthetics inplay, and illustrates the individual's reaction to team performance. Using the example of Maradona, Argentina's most famous footballer, he asserts that the ideal male is a pibe, a boy, who through exceptional football skill, need never grow up on the field or off.
The book is the product of years of careful research, aided by several close "informants." Its focus on primary sources, with which the reader will not necessarily be familiar, and its insistence on quoting these sources at length, make for a sometimes dry read. Archetti succeeds in creating a better understanding of the male in football, polo, and the tango, as they developed in a country of hybridization and strong nationalism. The book is a success, then, in its academic aims, and excellent as a source for intense research, but tough to grasp and thick to wade through as a casual reader.

Review of Archetti's Masculinities
In hisbook, Eduardo P. Archetti uncovers how the national identity of Argentina is displayed through males participating in football, polo, and the tango.Archetti, along with being a native of Argentina, is an anthropologist.He chose to search out the answers to all of his questions simply by asking them to other Argentinean males.Archetti then puts this book together using the material he gained from the interviews he conducted.Besides piecing together the book by placing many of the actual interviews in it, he includes the histories of football, polo, and the tango, as well as a biographical account of Maradona, a former player on the Argentina national football team.
The book contains an introduction and two sections.Each of the three sections are divided up into approximately four parts.The introduction discusses the framework and the perspectives of the book.The first section focuses on how hybridization plays a key role in determining the national identity of Argentina.Archetti unveils in the later chapters of this first section the history of Argentinean football and polo.He then tells of how hybridity evolved within the realm of Argentinean sport and helped with the development of style and national image.The second section of the book is dedicated to the issue of masculinities and moralities in Argentinean football and the tango.Archetti talks about how the tango allowed for women to "step out" of their traditional roles, and how the lyrics of the tango express Argentina's national character.He finally tells of how Maradona, "the most famous contemporary Argentinean football star", had masculine tendencies and morals that depicted the ultimate Argentinean pibe (182).
Archetti's book was full of detail and quite interesting.However, he could have gone about presenting his material differently.He asked questions and did not answer them until further on into the book.As a reader, I found this method quite confusing.At the conclusion of the book, it was unclear to me if several of his questions were even answered.He should have answered his questions in a more orderly manner.Archetti did do a fabulous job explaining how the tango has evolved over time and has, in a sense, been a script for how Argentineans are feeling and what they are dealing with.This issue can therefore be further explored, and it can be discovered how the tango is currently evolving and how it continues to help shape the identity of Argentina.

A literary approach
E Archetti, an Argentinean professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Oslo, Norway, presents in this book, his reasearch into the concepts of nationalism, masculinity, cultural popular symbols and the elaborated culture of "performing bodies".

Through thorough readings of historical texts differing in nature from nationalist writings of early 20th century's authors, to the essential sports magazines such as "el Grafico", an image is created of both intellectual reflection and popular understanding of the emerging of football and polo, seen in relation to the immense immigration to Argentina that took place especially from the latter part of the 1800's until the Second World War.

The hybridisation of male perfomers is at the core of Archetti's study, as he explains how the new forms of established practices on the sports field were shaped, and how these performers became bearers and images of what was defined as the Argentinean culture.

Archetti's method in constructing the image on how the new hybridised forms came to be essential to Argentina, in what he conceptualises as a national gallery of male symbols, is very purposeful and rewarding, leaving the reader with a very good comprehension of the matter.

The book is not an indepth psychologically founded study of masculinity. The individual mental constructs that are closely regarded in other studies on the matter of masculinity, is perhaps outside the realm of this book. The research is primarily textual, and concerning the issue of the tango, one should not expect a passionately written account about neither the choreography or sensuous subtleness of the dance. Again, Archetti is concerning himself with the moralities and sexual politics in the tango lyrics from the era of the tango-cancion, making the presentation and the comprehension of this phenomenon primarily one based on textual analysis, and conversations with informants, reproducing and analysing their narratives.

Thoroughly enjoyable throughout, not at all overly academical in style, and a good foundation and pathfinder for anyone who has a general interest in the Argentinean cultural symbols, gender studies or construction of national essence. ... Read more

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A classic work of Latin American literature, Domingo Sarmiento's Facundo has become an integral part of the history, politics, and culture of Latin America since its first publication in 1845. Partially translated into English when it was first published, this foundational text appears here for the first time in its entirety.

An educator and writer, Sarmiento was President of Argentina from 1868 to 1874. His Facundo is a study of the Argentine character, a prescription for the modernization of Latin America, and a protest against the tyranny of the government of Juan Manuel de Rosas (1835-1852). The book brings nineteenth-century Latin American history to life even as it raises questions still being debated today--questions regarding the "civilized" city versus the "barbaric" countryside, the treatment of indigenous and African populations, and the classically liberal plan of modernization. Facundo's celebrated and frequently anthologized portraits of the caudillo Juan Facundo Quiroga and other colorful characters give readers an exhilarating sense of Argentine culture in the making.

Kathleen Ross's translation renders Sarmiento's passionate prose into English with all its richness intact, allowing the English-language reader the full experience of Facundo's intensity and historical reach. ... Read more

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On the demand side, exporters and strategic planners focusing on human blood, prepared animal blood, toxins, cultures of micro-organisms, and similar products excluding yeasts in Argentina face a number of questions. Which countries are supplying human blood, prepared animal blood, toxins, cultures of micro-organisms, and similar products excluding yeasts to Argentina? How important is Argentina compared to others in terms of the entire global and regional market? How much do the imports of human blood, prepared animal blood, toxins, cultures of micro-organisms, and similar products excluding yeasts vary from one country of origin to another in Argentina? On the supply side, Argentina also exports human blood, prepared animal blood, toxins, cultures of micro-organisms, and similar products excluding yeasts. Which countries receive the most exports from Argentina? How are these exports concentrated across buyers? What is the value of these exports and which countries are the largest buyers?

This report was created for strategic planners, international marketing executives and import/export managers who are concerned with the market for human blood, prepared animal blood, toxins, cultures of micro-organisms, and similar products excluding yeasts in Argentina. With the globalization of this market, managers can no longer be contented with a local view. Nor can managers be contented with out-of-date statistics which appear several years after the fact. I have developed a methodology, based on macroeconomic and trade models, to estimate the market for human blood, prepared animal blood, toxins, cultures of micro-organisms, and similar products excluding yeasts for those countries serving Argentina via exports, or supplying from Argentina via imports. It does so for the current year based on a variety of key historical indicators and econometric models.

In what follows, Chapter 2 begins by summarizing where Argentina fits into ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

I'm in love with this book!!!
Instead of focusing just on trade union politics, "Paradoxes of Utopia" offers us an exciting glimpse of the visionary cultural aspects of the anarchist movement in early 20th century Buenos Aires. A superb historian, Juan Suriano vividly brings to life the radical theaters, free schools, newspapers, and social organizations of the times, showing us the movement's deep concern for things like rational education, atheism, free love, feminism, anti-militarism, sobriety, and even vegetarianism, a surprising fact for a country well known for its steaks. As someone who once spent a semester in Buenos Aires, this book has me feeling nostalgic and longing for the melancholy sound of tango. As such, I strongly recommend this wonderful book for readers interested in Argentine history and left libertarian politics. If you haven't already done so, I'd also recommend reading Marina Sitrin's excellent book on contemporary Argentine social movements, "Horizontalism: Voices of Popular Power in Argentina". ... Read more