Intellectuals in the Shadow of Progress: State and Individual in Argentina and Chile

Starting from an analysis of the political context during the second half of the Nineteenth Century marked by conclusion of the State-building process and the onset of Nation-building, this essay traces the intellectual debate on the relationship between State and Individual in the 1870s and 1880s in Argentina and Chile. Through the examination of intellectual journals, the essay outlines the ways and timeframes through which the idea of Progress emerged in South America, highlighting the structural issues needing to be faced: the relationship between State and Catholic Church, and that between State and Citizenship.