SOCCER INSTITUTIONS, RACIAL IDEOLOGY, AND NATIONAL INTEGRATION IN ARGENTINA ...

378 Pages·2013·3.9 MB·English

PLAYING AT NATION: SOCCER INSTITUTIONS, RACIAL IDEOLOGY, AND
NATIONAL INTEGRATION IN ARGENTINA, 1912-1931

Jeffrey William Richey

A dissertation submitted to the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the
Department of History.

Chapel Hill
2013

Approved by:

John C. Chasteen

Kathryn J. Burns

John D. French

Joshua Nadel

Louis A. Pérez, Jr.
© 2013
Jeffrey William Richey
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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ABSTRACT

JEFFREY RICHEY: Playing at Nation: Soccer Institutions, Racial Ideology, and
National Integration in Argentina, 1912-1931
(Under the direction of John C. Chasteen)

It is well documented that “in no other Latin American country has a single urban
center so dominated national life" as in the case of Argentina and its capital, Buenos
Aires.1 The uneven distribution of political, cultural, and economic power between
Buenos Aires and the so-called Interior has created a bifurcated nationhood that remains
one of the central tensions in Argentine history and historiography. Departing from this
paradigm of a bifurcated nationhood, two overarching questions guide this dissertation:
how did exclusivist narratives of racial identity come to be accepted by a racially diverse
national population? And second, why, in a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic country such
as Argentina, did racial division come to feature heavily in discourses of national identity
during a period in which other Latin American countries were emphasizing ideas of racial
and cultural inclusiveness?
I answer these questions by examining the popularization of Argentine soccer
between 1912 and 1931. Combining a cultural analysis of popular media with a concrete
study of Argentine soccer institutions, I argue that during this period soccer became a key
vehicle for Argentine politicians, intellectuals, and players to widely disseminate a

1 James Brennan and Ofelia Pianetto, “Introduction,” in Region and Nation: Politics, Economics, and
Society in Twentieth-Century Argentina, ed. James Brennan and Ofelia Pianetto (New York: St. Martin’s
Press, 2000), viii.
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version of cultural nationhood that excluded non-European elements of the national
population. I argue that through soccer competitions, Buenos Aires became fixed in the
national consciousness as modern and white vis-à-vis the "Interior," and vis-à-vis the rest
of Latin America, which together became solidified in the Argentine consciousness as
mixed-race and backward.
In the first decades of the twentieth century no other event or performance of the
time transgressed so many regional boundaries and brought so many Argentines into
contact—corporeal or imagined—with one another than soccer. It is through these initial
encounters—physical and discursive—that foundational formulations of national identity
were propagated by an influential sports press eager to project an image of a capital city
that was modern, advanced, and, above all, white. At the same time, soccer also provided
an important platform for Argentines from the "Interior" to formulate an influential, long-
lasting alternative nationhood that validated non-European cultures in explicit contra-
distinction to Buenos Aires—notions of regional identity still influential today.

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To John
for patience and support beyond measure

to LP
for yanking me bodily back from the abyss

and most of all

to KFF
for all of these things and for every day

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Graduate students on the cusp of the Ph.D. regularly speak of “debts incurred”
along the way. I even heard someone claim, once, that such debts are “a joy” to accrue
and to pay off in turn. For my part, indebtedness strikes me in this case as inadequate and
even misleading, for it suggests an agreed-upon repayment, however deferred. No such
arrangement could possibly serve to remunerate the guidance, friendship, longsuffering,
and generous spirit of John Chasteen, my adviser at UNC and a superlative writer,
translator, and teacher. Thank you, John, for believing me in my darkest hours.
At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill I became a historian. Lou
Pérez and Kathryn Burns accompanied me every step of the way, offering not just close
readings and valuable suggestions for my work, but also serving as inspiring models for
teaching at both undergraduate and graduate levels. A cadre of friends and colleagues
from History and Latin American Studies offered indispensable critiques of my work
along with general counsel, solidarity, and fellowship: Laura Premack, Josh Nadel, Jeff
Erbig, Toby Nathan, Randy Browne, Mike Huner, Enver Casimir, Rosalie Genova, Pam
Lach, Jonathan Risner, Bill Wisser, Bill Van Norman, Juan Carlos González Espitia, and
Billy Acree figured prominently at different stages of my education. In a departmental
setting, I am grateful to Lloyd Kramer, Cynthia Radding, John Sweet, Joy Jones, and
Violet Anderson, all of whom offered career advice and navigated university bureaucracy
on my behalf.
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I availed myself of the opportunity to complete a significant portion of my class
work at Duke. Over the course of graduate school John French proved a tireless source
of support, offering insights, citations, and kindness in ample doses and at crucial
moments. Laurent Dubois showed me extreme generosity, helping to frame my research
questions and pushing me in new directions methodologically. This dissertation has also
been shaped by professors Jocelyn Olcott and Jens Andermann, as well as those (former)
Duke graduate students whom I am gratified to count among my lifelong friends: Max
Krochmal, Liz Shesko, Mitch Fraas, Jacob Remes, and Bryan Pitts.
If UNC made me a historian, years earlier Brigham Young University made me a
Latin Americanist. Jeff Shumway served as an exemplary mentor, introducing me to
archival research in Argentina. His enthusiasm for the profession was contagious, and it
propelled me to graduate school. Special thanks are due Kirk Hawkins and Mark Grover
for formative research experiences in Venezuela and Brazil, providing some of the most
exciting moments of my undergraduate years. Others at BYU, like Kendall Brown, Allen
Christenson, Doug Weatherford, and Ignacio García helped me to cultivate a Latin
American Studies intellectual base that continues to inform my teaching and writing.
As I began my research phase in 2009, several scholars of Argentina aided me in
orienting my topical focus and methods. I am thankful for the input of Valeria Manzano,
Rebecca Pite, Bea Gurwitz, Matt Karush, Natalia Milanesio, and, especially, Oscar
Chamosa, in helping me make the connections between soccer and broader patterns in
Argentine social and cultural history.
In Buenos Aires, giants of scholarship Mirta Lobato and Julio Frydenberg
encouraged my project while directing me toward little-known archives and connecting
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me with other scholars. Carlos Yametti, Jorge Gallego, and Osvaldo Gorgazzi at the
Centro para la Investigación de la Historia del Fútbol made known invaluable period
sources, while Sergio Lodise went out of his way to introduce me to the world of Boquita
at both an archival and hincha level. I proffer a special note of appreciation to Perla
Otalora, who gave me unfettered access to AFA’s splendid library and archive. I will
forever treasure the friendship and good company of Alicia Benítez, with whom my best
memories of Buenos Aires, 2009-2010, are inextricably linked. And old friends from my
earliest days in Argentina, Sergio Theules and Elsa Colman (y la Ceci), allowed me
return to Laguna Paiva again and again. This work’s successes are theirs, too.
In Santiago del Estero, all my paths began and ended at the home of the great
Alberto Tasso. One would struggle to find a fuller and more generous scholar, writer,
and human being. Through Alberto I met Ana Teresa Martínez and José Mussi at the
Universidad Nacional de Santiago del Estero. They both freely shared of their vast
knowledge of Argentine and santiagueño history, and their enthusiasm for my project
was a boon. The Gómez family—Jorge Alberto, Antonia Carmen, and Mercedes—
allowed me a precious glimpse into the intimate past of their respective father, uncle, and
grandfather. For their part Antonio Virgilio and Julio César Castiglione regaled me with
memories, photos, and historical documentation, as did Dr. Guido Freddiani. Local
sports personalities Ricardo Nazer, Franklin Villalba, and Juan Manuel “Chura” Martínez
introduced me to the Gómez and Castiglione families. And the wonderful Carolina
Malanca at El Liberal and Jorge Rosenberg at Biblioteca 9 de Julio passed on some of the
most unique sources for this dissertation.
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I would also like to recognize the institutions that enabled my research and
writing in the first place. At the heart of my material support was always UNC’s Institute
for the Study of the Americas, and at the heart of ISA are Beatriz Riefkohl Muñiz and
Shelley Clarke. Thank you, Beatriz and Shelley, for opening so many doors. I am
grateful for funding provided by the UNC History Department, the UNC Graduate
School, the Tinker Foundation, the Center for Global Initiatives, the Federico Gil
Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, and the Foreign Language and Area Studies Program
of the United States Department of Education. The Pre-doctoral/Postdoctoral Fellowship
in Latin American Studies at Lehigh University gave me the precious freedom to finish
the dissertation under the most ideal of circumstances. At Lehigh Antonio Prieto, Matt
Bush, Steve Cutcliffe, Bill Bulman, John Savage, Hugo Ceron-Anaya, Sandra Aguilar,
Edurne Portela, Ricardo Viera, and Roger Simon offered friendship, commentary, and
unflagging support in liberal amounts.
Nothing makes sense without my family. My parents David and Lucila
introduced me to Latin America, through epic road trips to visit relatives in Mexico or
through the everyday pleasures of the peerless Tenorio family cookbook. Their
multifaceted support through every moment of my higher education has anchored me like
nothing else could. The same can be said for my siblings Mike, Kate, Matt, and Laura,
and for the magnificent Bernard Fuller. I am painfully aware, as a friend once put it, that
a dissertation dedication is “cheap recompense” for your love, for your camaraderie, for a
life’s worth of joyful memories.
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And Katharine. My biggest supporter, my greatest inspiration, mi gran amor.
You and Julian gave greater meaning to the endeavor—the most important factor of all.
You have been and are so many things to me. Sin vos esto no existe.

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