Narratives of Identity: The Literature of Nineteenth-Century Latin American Political Thought

Abstract

This article discusses the use of literature by four leading Latin American intellectuals— Domingo Faustino Sarmiento (1811–1888), Esteban Echeverría (1805–1851), Rubén Darío (1867–1916), and José Enrique Rodó (1871–1917)—and its connection with their political thought on the question of national identity. Apart from their role in the nation-building efforts of elites during this period, these figures, through their literary writings, helped to establish a common “American” intellectual tradition and national identity during a postrevolutionary period that was still struggling with civil wars, social unrest, and commercial and governmental development amid newfound political independence. Literature thus played an active role in shaping the character of Latin American political thought in the nineteenth century by conveying the visions for national and broader “American” identities. Sarmiento and Echeverría, both figures in the Romantic movement, conceived of an American identity in nature; Darío and Rodó, figures in the modernismo movement, conceived of an American identity in spirit.