Una mirada patagónica sobre la integración. El caso del diario Río Negro y las relaciones argentino-chilenas (1960-1973)

Abstract

In the present article we propose an analysis of the different senses that acquired the discourses on the Argentine-Chilean integration that circulated in the norpatagonian press, from the conformation of the ALALC until the end of the self-named “Argentine Revolution”. To do this we resort to the most influential newspaper in a region whose territory was crossed by a multiplicity of processes that are linked early to Chile. In this sense we can mention the continuous movement of workers, goods and capital, from one side of the Andes mountain range, which has not only economic importance, but also shaped a substantial social and cultural contribution to the region. However, this close link has also awakened historical fears of territorial nationalism, which gave life to the most varied conspiracy theories. In summary, the tension between the deepening of ties across the Andes and the fears of the “expansionist neighbor,” made up of the Patagonian space, together with the characteristics of a period marked by growing insecurity of society and the Argentine State, constitutes a scenario which was also conducive to the study of the polysemy deployed during those years by integrationist discourses.