Culture of Class : Radio and Cinema in the Making of a Divided Argentina, 1920-1946

In an innovative cultural history of Argentine movies and radio in the decades before Peronism, Matthew B. Karush demonstrates that competition with jazz and Hollywood cinema shaped Argentina's domestic cultural production in crucial ways, as Argentine producers tried to elevate their offerings to appeal to consumers seduced by North American modernity. At the same time, the transnational marketplace encouraged these producers to compete by marketing "authentic" Argentine culture. Domestic filmmakers, radio and recording entrepreneurs, lyricists, musicians, actors, and screenwriters borrowed heavily from a rich tradition of popular melodrama. Although the resulting mass culture trafficked in conformism and consumerist titillation, it also disseminated versions of national identity that celebrated the virtue and dignity of the poor, while denigrating the wealthy as greedy and mean-spirited. This anti-elitism has been overlooked by historians, who have depicted radio and cinema as instruments of social cohesion and middle-class formation. Analyzing tango and folk songs, film comedies and dramas, radio soap operas, and other genres, Karush argues that the Argentine culture industries generated polarizing images and narratives that provided much of the discursive raw material from which Juan and Eva Perón built their mass movement. Major Change Came To Argentina During The First Decades Of The Twentieth Century. Following The Mass Influx Of European Immigrants To The Country During The Beginning Of The Century, A Truly National Culture Was Produced Through Mass Media, Facilitating The Assimilation Of Immigrants And Their Descendants. New Forms Of Media Emerged, Such As Radio And Cinema, As Did New Forms Of Entertainment, Such As Tango Songs, Films, And Radio Theater. Yet Despite The Unifying Effect Of Popular Culture, The Nation Remained Divided, And, If Anything, More So In 1950 Than In 1910. This Book Argues That The Key To Understanding This Paradox Lies In A Reassessment Of The Mass Culture Of The 1920s And 1930s. With A Focus On Film And Radio In And Around Buenos Aires, The Locus Of Production As Well As Much Of The Market Consumption, Karush Shows How Integration And Class Fractures Occurred Simultaneously In A Short Span Of The Country's History. He Brings Together The Usually Separated Subjects Of Radio And Cinema To Show How They Can Combine To Gauge A Larger Cultural And Political Environment And Shed Light On Class Distinctions. The Book Contributes To An Ongoing Discussion Of The Relationship Between Power And Mass Culture. It Will Be Of Interest To Scholars Of Cultural History And Urban Studies And Those Interested In Latin American History And Culture. Class Formation In The Barrios -- Competing In The Transnational Marketplace -- Repackaging Popular Melodrama -- Mass-cultural Nation Building -- Politicizing Populism -- Epilogue: The Rise Of The Middle Class, 1955-1976. Matthew B. Karush. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [251]-268) And Index. Los grandes cambios llegaron a la Argentina durante las primeras décadas del siglo XX. Tras la llegada masiva de inmigrantes europeos al país durante el comienzo del siglo, se produjo una verdadera cultura nacional a través de los medios de comunicación, lo que facilitó la asimilación de los inmigrantes y sus descendientes. Surgieron nuevas formas de medios, como la radio y el cine, al igual que nuevas formas de entretenimiento, como las canciones de tango, las películas y el teatro de radio. Sin embargo, a pesar del efecto unificador de la cultura popular, la nación permaneció dividida y, en todo caso, más en 1950 que en 1910. Este libro sostiene que la clave para entender esta paradoja reside en una reevaluación de la cultura de masas de los años 20 y 30. . Con un enfoque en el cine y la radio en Buenos Aires, el lugar de producción y gran parte del consumo del mercado, Karush muestra cómo la integración y las fracturas de clase ocurrieron simultáneamente en un breve lapso de la historia del país. Reúne los temas generalmente separados de la radio y el cine para mostrar cómo se pueden combinar para evaluar un entorno cultural y político más amplio y arrojar luz sobre las distinciones de clase. El libro contribuye a una discusión continua de la relación entre el poder y la cultura de masas. Será de interés para los estudiosos de historia cultural y estudios urbanos y para aquellos interesados ​​en la historia y cultura latinoamericana - Prové de l'editor In an innovative cultural history of Argentine movies and radio in the decades before Peronism, Matthew B. Karush demonstrates that competition with jazz and Hollywood cinema shaped Argentina's domestic cultural production in crucial ways, as Argentine producers tried to elevate their offerings to appeal to consumers seduced by North American modernity. At the same time, the transnational marketplace encouraged these producers to compete by marketing "authentic" Argentine culture. Domestic filmmakers, radio and recording entrepreneurs, lyricists, musicians, actors, and screenwriters borrowed heavily from a rich tradition of popular melodrama. Although the resulting mass culture trafficked in conformism and consumerist titillation, it also disseminated versions of national identity that celebrated the virtue and dignity of the poor, while denigrating the wealthy as greedy and mean-spirited. This anti-elitism has been overlooked by historians, who have depicted radio and cinema as instruments of social cohesion and middle-class formation. Analyzing tango and folk songs, film comedies and dramas, radio soap operas, and other genres, Karush argues that the Argentine culture industries generated polarizing images and narratives that provided much of the discursive raw material from which Juan and Eva Perón built their mass movement. In an innovative cultural history of Argentine movies and radio in the decades before Peronism, Matthew B. Karush demonstrates that competition with jazz and Hollywood cinema shaped Argentina's domestic cultural production in crucial ways, as Argentine producers tried to elevate their offerings to appeal to consumers seduced by North American modernity. At the same time, the transnational marketplace encouraged these producers to compete by marketing ''authentic" Argentine culture. Domestic filmmakers, radio and recording entrepreneurs, lyricists, musicians, actors, and screenwriters borrowed heavily from a rich tradition of popular melodrama. Although the resulting mass culture trafficked in conformism and consumerist titillation, it also disseminated versions of national identity pat celebrated the virtue arid dignity of the poor, while denigrating the wealthy as greedy and mean-spirited. This anti-elitism has been overlooked by historians, who have depicted radio and cinema as instruments of social cohesion and middle-class formation. Analyzing tango and folk songs, film comedies and dramas, radio soap operas, and other genres, Karush argues that the Argentine culture industries generated polarizing images and narratives that provided much of the discursive raw material from which and Eva Perón built their mass movement. Book jacket Contents 8 Acknowledgments 10 Introduction 14 1. Class Formation in the Barrios 32 2. Competing in the Transnational Marketplace 56 3. Repackaging Popular Melodrama 98 4. Mass-Cultural Nation Building 146 5. Politicizing Populism 190 Epilogue - The Rise of the Middle Class, 1955–1976 228 Notes 238 Bibliography 264 Index 282