THE BROWN ARGENTINA: BEING AN OUTSIDER AT HOME

A highly controversial utterance from the former Argentinian president Alberto Fernández captures the widespread belief that Argentina is a white nation. «I am a Europeanist. I am somebody who believes in Europe. [...] The Mexicans originate from the Indians, the Brazilians came out of the jungle, but us Argentines, we came off the boats» (Grupo Reforma, 2021). Fernández’s words expose a firmly entrenched eurocentric viewpoint. He reveals that despite his South American origins, he does not actively pursue a sense of solidarity with the broader Latin American community. He argues that while Argentina’s soil is South American, its culture is European.

Skribent:

César Alejandro Sojo Andrade

Bachelorstudent i sosialantropologi ved Universitetet i Bergen

Actor and indigenous rights activist David Gudiño contends that Argentina promotes a nationalism rooted in whiteness. His nominated short film at the Cannes Film Festival portrays the daily life of an indigenous man living in the city of Buenos Aires. The film attempts to turn the spotlight onto the overlooked reality of discrimination and marginalization within the country. To be regarded as a fellow countryman one needs to exhibit European features, such as a bridge nose and Mediterranean eyes (Criales, 2023). The more your skin resembles the blush of caramel or coffee, the less Argentinian you will be perceived. Indigenous children with lush black hair do not fit into the ideal of unpolluted European whiteness (Briones & Lanata, 2002, p. 8). Gudiño and other activists are out to expand and redefine what it means to be Argentine.

Ethnic makeup of Argentina

Many indigenous groups across southern South America self-identify as Mapuche (People of the Earth). There have been people present across this region for at least 12,500 years (Prine, 2023). The Mapuche of Argentina are often assumed to be immigrants from Peru or Bolivia. No matter the depth of their cultural capital a Mapuche may carry with them, they never become Argentinian enough (Gudiño, 2022). The fruits from the tree of belonging are just out of reach from their fingers.

The fruits from the tree of belonging are just out of belonging are just out of reach from their fingers.

How did Argentina come to be perceived as a nation whose identity is predominantly associated with whiteness? From the coves of the Iberian peninsula to volcanic fields in Iceland, over 6 million Europeans migrated to Argentina from the end of the 1800s until the 1940s, the country’s population grew fourfold (Droller, Fiszbein & Pérez, 2014, p. 4).

Argentinian elites needed immigration to meet the demands of the industrial revolution and great economic growth (Sánchez-Alonso, 2013, p. 606). The land was regarded as an untapped well waiting for a sufficient workforce to draw out its potential. European immigration was particularly sought after based on racial preferences. Argentine political theorist and diplomat Juan Bautista Alberdi believed in the cultural and biological superiority of Europeans. Alberdi and like-minded intellectuals considered European immigrants as the ideal candidates for «modernizing» the country. Without surprise, indigenous peoples did not fit into the grand vision of the new Argentina (Schulman, 1948, p. 9).

Without access to their lands or inclusion from the rest of society, where can the Mapuche find belonging?

The Mapuche and Belonging

In Argentina and other parts of Latin America, aristocrats pushed state policies that attempted to squeeze indigenous groups out of existence; the very presence of their bodies was seen as a hindrance to «progress». The land which was once shared among the ethnic groups such as Teheuleche and Picunche across Buenos Aires, Rio Negro, La Pampa, and Neuquén; were later poached by white Argentines (Briones & Lanata, 2002, p. 20). Without access to their lands or inclusion from the rest of society, where can the Mapuche find belonging?

The Mapuche cultivate relationships on multiple levels. They emphasize the significance of nurturing connections with both living friends and family, as well as maintaining a profound connection with departed loved ones and nature (Henriquez & Fernandez, 2006, 15:18). In the ethnographic film La Voz Mapuche, Pablo Fernandez and Andrea Henrique attempt to shed light on the marginalization and discrimination that Mapuche face in Chile.

In conversation with one of their informants, a man with his hair tied back and bristling mustache offered his viewpoint on why nature is so important for the Mapuche in order to feel belonging. In a woodland meadow, the man looks up in between the trees, he comments on how these trees live in harmony with each other. They all stand tall as equals. Calling them «a society that lives in camaraderie». He believes that humans live in harmony with all things around us, for if you love all things living, the lagoon, the sea, the gentle breeze brushing your cheeks; that love will eventually come back to you (Henriquez & Fernandez, 2006, 14:24).

Does Modernity Exist?

In Argentina, progress is associated with urbanization, infrastructural development, and economic growth. A Western late-stage capitalistic mindset has been naturalized into the way of living. Can one even be considered argentinian without embracing economic liberalism and sowing the soils of individualism? In contrast, Mapuche people do not fully embrace the idea that capitalism is beneficial (Henriquez & Fernandez, 2006, 31:42). They have a completely different idea of what development means. For them, development means guaranteeing that their children and grandchildren can still enjoy clean air and live on the same land as their ancestors. They believe that being a part of nature is more important than «owning it». A Mapuche woman living near an oil rig admits that she will keep persevering in the fight against oil companies because their presence goes against everything she stands for (Henriquez & Fernandez, 2006, 40:04). Due to the mapuche community at large rejecting the unstainable consumerism promoted by large corporations, they are shunned by those in power and society at large. Their way of viewing the world is treated as less rational and polluted by an outdated worldview (Briones & Lanata, 2002, p. 6).

Johannes Fabian’s term «Denial of Coevalness» can help illustrate how the divide between the distant past and modernity is rather dubious. This is the denial that one occupies the same time as someone else (Engelke, 2018, p. 83). Discussing unfamiliar cultures, we often fall into the cliché of regarding their unique ways of life as windows into history. While this holds some truth, it neglects the fact that these people inhabit the same time and space as westers. I believe that unfamiliar cultures are not static artifacts trapped behind museum plexiglass; they are dynamic, evolving, and very much in the present. Assuming that native cultures and traditions belong to the past creates distance between us and them. Cultures do not belong to many separate universes, instead we all inhabit the same world (Engelke, 2018, p. 83).

I believe that unfamiliar cultures are not static artifacts trapped behind museum plexiglass; they are dynamic, evolving, and very much in present. Assuming that native cultures and traditions belong to the past creates distance between us and them.

The denial of Coevalness inherently promotes social evolutionism, the belief that cultures start as simple and overtime become more complex and intricate. A founding figure of anthropology, Edward B. Tylor (1882-1917) asserted that all societies start out in a stage of childish savagery until eventually reaching the stage of civilization (Street, 2023). Applying Tylor’s rationale to Argentina, it implies that despite its indigenous roots, the country needs to adopt Western ways for cultural advancement.

Conclusion

The divergence from conventional notions of progress has ostracized indigenous groups in Argentina. Historically and at present day Mapuche have strived to find belonging in a country that does not accept them. Their lands have been taken over by European settlers, and their cosmology is often mocked as primitive.

White Latin Americans adopt colonialist ideology, which validates the control and subjugation of minorities, leading to the dehumanization of the Mapuche. Despite this, activists are reshaping the discourse, expanding the image of what it means to be Argentinian. While the Mapuche people have a different way of relating to the world in contrast to Westerners, they are still just as Argentinian as Dulce de Leche, Tango, and the hand of Maradona.

Argentina’s culture is bountiful, encompassing traditions from indigenous groups to the immigrant work ethic. A popular phrase captures this sentiment: «Un argentino nace donde quiere,» meaning an Argentine is born where they want. The beauty of this saying lies in the fact that identity isn’t tied to ethnic background. One becomes Argentine by discovering belonging among people, and hopefully, that will be enough.