The articles in the Working Paper Series on the Hispanic-Anglosphere constitute “work in progress”. They are published to stimulate discussion and contribute to the advancement of our knowledge of the Hispanic-Anglosphere. The series aims to accelerate the public availability of the research undertaken by our international research network. An electronic version of each Working Paper (pdf) is available below:
Issue WP22-01
1. Pandemics, State-Building, and British-Argentine Connections in the 19th Century
By: Juan I. Neves-Sarriegui
Abstract: In the second half of the nineteenth century, several epidemics broke out in Argentina. They were not part of an isolated phenomenon. In this period, cholera became a global pandemic that deeply affected the lives of people from India to Europe and throughout the Americas. Being an important South Atlantic port, Buenos Aires was particularly vulnerable to the introduction of the disease and to be a gateway for its transmission to the interior. In the nineteenth century Argentina also witnessed the development of a strong British community. Although the origins of the British presence in the Rio de la Plata can be traced to the colonial period, after the wars of independence people from the British Isles settled consistently in the new country in the context of Britain’s global expansion following the Napoleonic wars. The British in Argentina became very active through educational and health institutions, setting up robust organisations such as the Hospital Británico established in Buenos Aires in 1844. This paper explores some aspects of the contribution of the Anglo-Argentine community and the transnational connections that made that possible. It does this by looking at their health and charitable institutions, the impact disease had among foreign residents, and the role of key individuals. Focus is placed on the role of the Wilde family, in particular Jose Antonio and Eduardo Wilde, leading Anglo-Argentine physicians and politicians.
Keywords: State-building, Pandemics, Anglo-Argentines, Public Health
JEL: WP 22-01
Date: 2022-09-01
Language: EN (English)
Issue WP22-02
1. El ilustrado Pellizer: ¿Un científico irracional, un lingüista célebre?
By: José M. Menudo
Abstract: Originally from Jatiel, a village in the Spanish province of Teruel, José Manuel Pellicer García joined the Hispanic-Anglosphere through migration in the 1780s-1800s, a period of great of academic activity. A clergyman who stood out for his abilities to access political and academic power (ex. Benjamin Franklin, the Count of Aranda, Joseph Lalande, the Count of Mirabeau), he made use of practical knowledge to publish numerous scientific proposals —all of them rejected by academic institutions. In Paris and London, he was part of the circle of the Spanish embassy, giving him access to the first secretaries of state, from Floridablanca to Mariano Luis de Urquijo. This article reconstructs a part of his life, focusing on his scientific controversies and his contributions to the field of humanities. The biography reflects the great transformations that took place during those decades in Europe, as well as changes in the balance of power, particularly in relation to the Church that Pellizer defended at a time that it was losing part of its influence in the court, in science and in education.
Keywords: Science, diplomacy, London, Spanish philology, patriotic poetry
JEL: WP 22-01
Date: 2022-10-10
Language: ES (Spanish/Castellano)
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