The latter half of the nineteenth century witnessed on all levels of Argentine society significant strides toward a centralized state. Earlier studies of the era routinely assessed change by examining high-level political circles based in Buenos Aires. In the last decades, however, scholars in and outside Argentina have begun to examine the period from the perspective of the provinces, detailing their role in building the oligarchic conservative state under the Partido Autonomista Nacional (PAN). Laura Cucchi's work contributes to this approach, focused on decentering Argentine history, through a detailed political history of Córdoba during the 1870s. The study focuses on the work of Cordoban autonomists under Governor Antonio del Viso and his minister of government Miguel Juárez Celman in consolidating support in the province for the presidential candidacy of Julio A. Roca, who served as president from 1880 to 1886.
Cucchi's work centers around three interrelated arguments. First, she asserts...
