A functional past: the uses of history in nineteenth century Chile

223 Pages·1982·9.149 MB·Spanish

by  Allen Woll

A Functional Past

A Functional Past
THE USES OF HISTORY IN NINETEENTH­
CENTURY CHILE
Allen Woll
Louisiana State University Press
Baton Rouge and London
Copyright © 1982 by Louisiana State University Press
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
Designer: Patricia Douglas Crowder
Typeface: Linotron 202 Garamond #3
Typesetter: G&S Typesetters, Inc.
Printing and binding: Thomson-Shore, Inc.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING IN PUBLICATION DATA
Woll, Allen.
A functional past.
Bibliography: p.
Includes index.
1. Chile—Historiography. 2. Chile—History—
1824-1920. I. Title.
F3074.W64 983'.06 81-12411
ISBN 0-8071-0977-0 AACR2
To Myra

CONTENTS
IX
Acknowledgments
i
Introduction
Part I
THE ORIGINS OF HISTORICAL STUDIES IN CHILE (1830-1851)
7
1 Discovery of the Chilean Past: The Intellectual Renaissance of 1842
29
2 The Philosophy of History in Chile: The Lastarria-Bello Debates
49
3 Theory and Practice: The First Historical Writings (1845 — 1851)
Part II
THE FUNCTIONS OF HISTORY IN NINETEENTH-CENTURY
CHILE (1851-1900)
69
4 From Ambiguity to Action: History Becomes a Political Weapon
85
5 The Catholic Historian in Nineteenth-Century Chile
105
6 Historians as Diplomats: The Chilean Boundary Disputes
127
7 A Question of Honor: Historians Defend Their Profession
150
8 For God or Country: History and Education in Chile
172
9 Keys to the Future: Positivism and Historical Thought in Chile
189
Conclusion
193
Selected Bibliography
205
Index
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This BOOK originated in an evening course at the University of Chicago on
the philosophy of history taught by Karl J. Weintraub. Herbert Klein en­
couraged my early interest in Latin American history. Peter Smith, Thomas
Skidmore, and the late John L. Phelan of the University of Wisconsin, Madi­
son, provided diverse critical viewpoints which aided this manuscript consid­
erably. Simon Collier of the University of Essex first introduced me to Chil­
ean history, and he has read most of this manuscript and offered helpful
suggestions. Charles Hale of the University of Iowa has expressed interest in
this topic for many years. His comments, from the earliest days of the work
to the final revisions, have improved this book immeasurably. I would also
like to thank the Doherty Foundation for the opportunity to live in Chile
during 1972 and 1973 and initiate the research for this book. Finally, I
would like to thank my current colleagues at Rutgers University, Camden,
for their continued faith.
Portions of this book appeared in the following journals: History and The­
ory , The Americas, the Journal of Latin American Studies, and the Journal of the
History of Ideas. I would like to thank them for permission to reprint these
articles in revised form.