The province of Buenos Aires has played an outsized role in Argentine history. Its agricultural riches, complemented by significant industrial expansion beginning in the mid-twentieth century, have dominated the nation's economic life from colonial times to the present. Its demographic weight, containing between 35 and 40 percent of Argentina's population, has made it an essential electoral prize.
The two volumes under review here are part of an ambitious six-volume collection of essays that cover the province's history from the time of Spanish conquest and colonization to the early twenty-first century. Both volumes begin with an introductory essay followed by 13 individual contributions. Hilda Sabato provides the introduction to volume 3 and Juan Manuel Palacio, the overall director of the project, introduces volume 4. These introductions give useful overviews of the material included in each volume, allowing the reader, if he or she chooses, to select those essays of greatest personal...
