Remaking Argentina: Labor, Law, and Citizenship During the Proceso De Reorganización Nacional
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View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by IUScholarWorks REMAKING ARGENTINA: LABOR, LAW, AND CITIZENSHIP DURING THE PROCESO DE REORGANIZACIÓN NACIONAL Edward Brudney Submitted to the faculty of the University Graduate School in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of History Indiana University May 2019 ii Accepted by the Graduate Faculty, Indiana University, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Doctoral Committee: ___________________________________ Daniel James, Ph.D. ___________________________________ Jeff Gould, Ph.D. ___________________________________ Shane Greene, Ph.D. ___________________________________ Alex Lichtenstein, Ph.D. March 22, 2019 iii Acknowledgments I’ve always been fascinated by acknowledgments. From the first years of my graduate school career, I would read acknowledgments carefully, and imagine how I would craft my own in the future. I’d look for familiar names and wonder if all of those people mentioned had actually been instrumental to the final product. Sitting down to craft my own acknowledgments after nearly eight years working on this project, I quickly came to realize that the reason most examples followed a fairly straightforward format was the simple fact that there are so many people whose advice, support, and labor go into a project of this magnitude, that there often isn’t space for anything especially pithy or clever. While this is only my first attempt (and I hope there will be other opportunities to refine my technique in the future), I find myself humbled not just by the long list of names that came to mind as I thought about everyone who has helped me reach this point but also the task of putting those names down in a somewhat orderly fashion. This research was financially supported by numerous institutions and organizations. An International Dissertation Research Fellowship from the Social Science Research Council (2015), two Tinker Research Foundation Summer Fieldwork Grants (2012, 2014), and generous backing from the History Department and Indiana University all contributed to making this dissertation possible. In Argentina, I counted on the assistance of the archivists, librarians, and staff at numerous sites. In Buenos Aires, I would like to thank the Archivo General de la Nación, the Biblioteca Nacional, the Biblioteca del Congreso de la Nación, the Ministerio de Trabajo, the Ministerio de Economía, the Centro de Documentación e Investigación de la Cultura de las Izquierdas (CEDINCI), and the Facultad de Ciencias Económicas. I want to extend a special thanks to the Verónica Cánepa and the staff at the Archivo del Sindicalimso Argentino “Santiago Senén iv González,” at the Universidad Torcuato di Tella. In La Plata, I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the staff at the Comisión por la Memoria and the Archivo ex-DIPPBA, and especially to Magdalena Lanteri. In La Pampa, I also want to think the Archivo Provincial de La Pampa, in Santa Rosa, and the Biblioteca Municipal in General Pico. Beyond these organizations, numerous individuals gave generously of their time and intellectual energy at various points during this process. In Argentina, I owe thanks to Florencia Osuna, Daniel Lvovitch, Ernesto Bohoslavsky, and the members of the Programa de Historia Contemporánea at the Universidad Nacional General Sarmiento. The PHIC provided a critical space for me to engage in discussion with exciting and emerging scholarship in Argentina, and I’m very grateful for the opportunity to participate. Juan Carlos Torre at the Universidad Torcuato di Tella supported my work on several occasions and helped me think through some of the bigger questions that frame this project. I’m indebted to him for his assistance. Héctor Palomino guided me through my initial forays into the Ministry of Labor and has been a consistent backer throughout. I’m extremely grateful for his support, and for his and Mirta’s friendship and hospitality. In General Pico, I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to all of the ex-ENTel employees who graciously agreed to sit with me for interviews and informal conversations over three research trips. More than that, I am forever indebted to Alicia Oriani and Santos Torre for welcoming me into their home, for long conversations about their experiences, for facilitating my contacts with their friends and colleagues, and for their incredible kindness. This project could not have happened without them. I also need to thank Juan Pedro Massano for going out of his way to take an interest in my research and taking time to find sources and contacts for me. Finally, Luciana Zorzoli has been a true friend and colleague, and her intellectual production has sparked my own v curiosity and forced me to question my own assumptions and biases. I appreciate her help and friendship. At Indiana University, the number of people to whom I owe thanks goes beyond what’s possible to include in this acknowledgments section. However, several individuals merit special recognition. Jason McGraw and Arlene Diaz have consistently supported my work and development since I arrived. Peter Guardino has been steadfast throughout and proved an invaluable sounding board for ideas and concepts, while giving much needed reassurance on several occasions (despite his wild elbows). As Directors of Graduate Studies, Wendy Gamber and Eric Robinson were always available and willing to help with problems large and small, and consistently found resources that were integral to the completion of this dissertation. The History Department staff, and in particular Alexia Bock, Becky Bryant, Nick Roberts, and Deana Hutchins, are incredible and I’m extremely grateful for all of their hard work on behalf of graduate students. And, speaking of graduate students, I’ve been fortunate to share my experience with some of the smartest and most talented scholars that I can imagine, who also generally recognized those moments when it was necessary to set aside work and find some way to decompress. Although the list is too long to reproduce in its entirety, I want to especially thank Alfio Saitta, Michael Lemon, Matt Van Hoose, Marc Antone, Heather Vrana, Jen Boles, Matthew Lebrato, Isabel Álvarez, Stephanie Huezo, Nico Sillitti, Casey Korducki, Chris Jillson, Sarah Foss, and Amanda Waterhouse. While we didn’t actually overlap at Indiana, I also owe deep thanks to Kevin Coleman and Sebastián Carassai for their friendship and support at different moments during this process, and for their encouragement at several critical points along the way. Chris Moore and Timo Schaefer intimidated the hell out of me when I arrived in Bloomington (and if I’m being honest, still do), but they helped me find my feet and taught me how to navigate graduate school. I’m vi forever grateful for their comradery in seminars, on the squash court, and on Chicago evenings. Finally, to Denisa Jashari and Kathryn Lehman, it’s been a pleasure and a privilege to count you as friends and colleagues over these past years. Thank you for all your support along the way. Somehow, despite the fact that nothing I’ve said so far is hyperbolic, my greatest thanks remain unstated (just further evidence of how much this process depends on others). To the members of my committee, Jeff Gould, Shane Greene, and Alex Lichtenstein: thank you for reading multiple drafts of chapters, for discussing structural issues, for your advice and guidance, for your time and support, and for your friendship. Even without all the other factors, I would feel that my time at Indiana was well spent for having had the opportunity to work with you all. My greatest professional and intellectual debt is undoubtedly owed to my advisor, Daniel James. Our conversations over the years, whether about Bourdieu, Cristina, or college basketball, have always been entertaining, stimulating, and helpful. More than historical theory or practice, I learned (or, perhaps more accurately, I’ve begun to learn) how to think both critically and empathetically at the same time. It’s been one of the privileges of my life to work alongside you. While I may never fully master the critical/empathetic technique, I’m extremely grateful to have been exposed to a different way of thinking about history and historical experience, and for as long as I have an academic career, I’ll continue to pursue that objective. Last but not least, to my parents, Anne Doyle and James Brudney, for their unwavering belief in me not just during this most recent phase of my life, but at all stages of my career, and to Emma McDonell, who transformed my life, there aren’t words that can properly express how much I appreciate everything you’ve done. I would not be here without your constant support, your patience, your generosity, and your love. Thank you. If this dissertation offers anything of value, it is because of those named here. Any mistakes or errors are mine alone. vii Edward Brudney REMAKING ARGENTINA: LABOR, LAW, AND CITIZENSHIP DURING THE PROCESO DE REORGANIZACIÓN NACIONAL This dissertation examines the creation, enactment, and application of labor legislation during Argentina’s most recent military dictatorship, the self-styled Proceso de Reorganización Nacional (Process of National Reorganization, PRN) (1976-1983). Scholarship on the PRN has long overlooked the regime’s legalistic impulses while emphasizing extralegal repression, but I argue that the law remained a critical site of contestation for workers, trade unionists, corporations, and state actors. The dictatorship’s policies were more than a mask for state violence. Rather, I read this legislation as an integral part of a larger discursive effort to “reorganize” the nation through the articulation of a new national subject—a different version of the “worker-citizen.” Part I of the dissertation explores the inner workings of the PRN, first as a whole and then specifically within the Ministry of Labor.