Reclaimed histories: Bolivia’s regional rivalries in 19th century Creole writings

• In Event: Race and Regionalism in Bolivia

Abstract

Recent historiographical trends on the independence era in Latin America attempted to revise a long line of scholarship which depicts Latin American revolutions as elite led projects. Unfortunately, in the process of writing more inclusive histories of the independence era, scholars have dismissed important creole writings of the 19th century as top-down, patriotic narratives that should be treated with caution or ignored entirely. While these writings may not accurately depict the events of the independence era, they tell us a great deal about the national and regional projects of Latin American intellectuals. Creole writers often used the history of the independence era as one of their essential tools in the political debates of the 19th century.

My paper reclaims the writings of 19th century intellectuals in the Chuquisaca region of Bolivia by analyzing how conservative politicians from Chuquisaca wrote about their local history. These men wrote and mobilized histories of the Bolivian independence era to support their contemporary political agendas. In the case of Chuquisaca, creoles like Valentin Abecia used 19th century histories to support the continuation of a conservative oligarchy and to contest efforts to move Bolivia’s capital from the Chuquisaca region. Creoles from other Bolivian regions wrote similar histories with differing, regionally specific protagonists to support their own regional and political goals. Although exclusionary and limited, Creole writings on independence should not be treated as flawed, top-down histories. Instead they can be a useful resource on issues of regionalism and the political climate of the 19th Century.

Author

• Caleb G Wittum, University of South Carolina