The Transformation of Argentine Historiography: A Post-Peron Golden Age

Following the military overthrow of Juan Perón in September 1955, Argentine universities underwent a profound transformation. Teaching staffs were almost completely replaced, ushering in new ideas and curricula that many scholars characterize as a golden age for historical studies. The nation emerged from a period of relative intellectual isolation with a pent-up desire for scholarly renewal. In 1955, Tulio Halperín Donghi published a seminal article calling for a complete overhaul of the historical profession, sharply criticizing both the ideological Revisionists and the apolitical, erudite refusal of the Nueva Escuela Histórica to engage with contemporary historical stakes.

The reformers, eager to open the field to modern currents, quickly gained major influence within academia. Shortly after the coup, José Luis Romero was appointed rector of the University of Buenos Aires at the students' suggestion, later serving as dean of the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters from 1962 to 1965. Romero became the principal promoter of a reformed, interdisciplinary vision of history, championing the development of social history. His editorial principles for the journal Imago Mundi emphasized integrating political, intellectual, and cultural history to achieve a richer, deeper comprehension of reality, transcending traditional narrow specializations.

While the Nueva Escuela retained university influence and Revisionism held sway in popular discourse, Romero's approach made a significant impact despite lacking strong institutional bases outside the University of Rosario. This new wave explicitly connected historical research to national problems, driven by a crucial engagement with the social sciences. A key figure was Gino Germani, whose "scientific" sociology, developed with external funding, attracted many students. Historians and sociologists collaborated on projects like immigration studies, while developmental economics, influenced by Raúl Prebisch and Celso Furtado, shaped new economic histories analyzing Argentina's stages and delays in industrialization.

This fruitful symbiosis between history and social science was formalized in publications and institutional collaborations. The journal Desarrollo Económico: Revista de Ciencias Sociales, launched in 1961, regularly featured historical work by reformers. Joint projects, such as those between the Sociology Institute and the Centre for the Study of Social History, received funding from bodies like the Rockefeller Foundation. Interdisciplinary teams, combining historians, sociologists, and anthropologists, conducted detailed studies on regions like the Valley of Santa María, supported by Argentina's national research council, CONICET.

A major intellectual influence was the French Annales School, particularly Fernand Braudel, whose work was published in Spanish remarkably early. Braudel corresponded with Romero after a 1947 visit, and younger Argentine historians traveled to France to study under him and his colleague Ruggiero Romano. The Annales emphasis on longue durée history, geography, and serial economic data inspired Argentine attempts to construct long-term statistical series for the 19th century. While the direct institutional links faded after 1965, the Annales spirit of challenging the historical establishment deeply resonated with Argentine reformers.

Marxist analysis also gained significant traction, intensified by the Cuban Revolution and the global mood of the 1960s. The works of Maurice Dobb, Pierre Vilar, and Witold Kula were influential, but the writings of Antonio Gramsci had a particularly transformative impact, speaking directly to Latin American conditions and leading to intellectual realignments within the left. For many progressive historians, Marxism became a common frame of reference, often fused with nationalism or Peronism.

The culmination of the reformist project is exemplified by the collective Historia Argentina published by Paidós in 1972. Its prologue declared a commitment to a professional, problem-oriented historical inquiry fully engaged with the social sciences. The work prominently featured demography and economics, filled with statistical data and openly acknowledging debt to Annales scholars like Febvre, Braudel, and Bloch. This publication symbolized the maturity of the interdisciplinary, socially engaged historiography that defined the era.

Institutional conditions for historians improved substantially during this period. The 1959 authorization of private universities created new academic positions, later serving as a refuge for scholars purged after subsequent military coups. Within national universities, the number of full-time, exclusively dedicated professors skyrocketed, fostering a more professionalized corps. The founding of CONICET and the spectacular growth of the University of Buenos Aires Press, which sold millions of copies, further supported research and dissemination. Despite these advanced scholarly shifts, the teaching of Argentine history at pre-university levels remained largely static, still relying on older Nueva Escuela textbooks whose liberal narratives did not conflict with the anti-Peronist political class now in power.