University of New Mexico UNM Digital Repository History ETDs Electronic Theses and Dissertations 8-25-2016 "Basically Intelligent:" The lindB , Intelligence, and Gender in Argentina, 1880-1939 Rebecca Ann Ellis Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/hist_etds Recommended Citation Ellis, Rebecca Ann. ""Basically Intelligent:" The lB ind, Intelligence, and Gender in Argentina, 1880-1939." (2016). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/hist_etds/27 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Electronic Theses and Dissertations at UNM Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in History ETDs by an authorized administrator of UNM Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Rebecca A. Ellis____________________________ Department of History_______________________ This dissertation is approved, and it is acceptable in quality and form for publication: Approved by the Dissertation Committee: Dr. Elizabeth Hutchison, Chairperson_________________________________________ Dr. Judy Bieber__________________________________________________________ Dr. Robert Jefferson_______________________________________________________ Dr. Jonathan Ablard_______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ i "BASICALLY INTELLIGENT:" THE BLIND, INTELLIGENCE, AND GENDER IN ARGENTINA, 1880-1939 BY REBECCA A. ELLIS B.A., History and Political Science, Carroll College, 2003 M.A., History, University of New Mexico, 2009 Department of History Committee Chair: Dr. Elizabeth Hutchison Dr. Judy Bieber Dr. Robert Jefferson Dr. Jonathan Ablard DISSERTATION Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy History University of New Mexico Albuquerque, NM July, 2016 ii DEDICATION To my father for his love of history, My mother for her positive energy, Julian my partner, and Rory my motivation iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS People and organizations on two different continents made this dissertation possible. To conduct my research I was fortunate to work with a wonderful people at the Fulbright Commission in Argentina such as, Norma Gonzalez, Laura Moraña, Marisa Kandel, and Sol Parra. These individuals helped me navigate many of the logistics that made research in Buenos Aires possible. I am also grateful for the assistance that the University of New Mexico's Latin American and Iberian Institute provided when they granted me a Dissertation Research Fellowship. Without the aid of this organization and the Fulbright International Research Fellowship none of this work would have been possible. Beyond financial and academic support, my research was strengthened by the aid of key individuals in Buenos Aires who took time out of their busy schedules to meet with me and guide me. For that I would like to thank Karina Ramacciotti, Valeria Silvina Pita, Carolina Ferrante, and Daniela Testa. Silvia Hirsch, Alejandra Golcman, and Piroska Csuri welcomed me into their lives and gave me important insights into my work and for that I owe them an extra debt. Many archivists and librarians helped me in my quest for information on the blind, and I thank the staffs at the Archivo General de la Nación and Intermedio, The Biblioteca de la Facultad de Medicina at the Universidad de Buenos Aires, and everyone at the Biblioteca Nacional. I extend special thanks to Liliana Otero at the Biblioteca Argentina de Ciegos. Additionally, the staff at the Instituto y Archivo Histórico Municipal de Morón enthusiastically aided my search for information on Vicenta Castro Cambón. Finally, Maria Eugenia Villanustre from the Instituto de Ciencias de la Rehabilitación y el Movimiento at the Universidad Nacional de San Martín iv was one of the most dedicated and persistent librarians I have ever met, and I am grateful for all of her hard work finding useful resources for my research. At the University of New Mexico my academic life and writing process were enriched through the aid of countless individuals and organizations. The Department of History provided not only financial resources, but also an atmosphere of rigor and welcome that nurtured me both academically and personally. I was also fortunate to receive a Russel J. and Dorothy S. Bilinksi Dissertation Fellowship that made the completion of this dissertation possible. There were many individuals who trained me to hone my academic skills. My advisor Dr. Elizabeth Hutchison and members of my dissertation committee Drs. Judy Bieber, Robert Jefferson, and Jonathan Ablard all helped me refine my analysis and think about my research in new ways. Many of my skills were built in courses with Drs. Kimberly Gauderman, Linda Hall, and Jane Slaughter. Drs. Virginia Scharff and Charlie Steen helped me become a better academic professional. Additionally, I owe so much to the academic cohort that challenged me and encouraged me on a daily basis. Thank you to Lucy Grinnell, Scott Crago, Bryan Turo, Shawn Austin, Nydia Martinez, Colin Snider, Tim Lorek, Will Veeder, Brandon Morgan, Justin Barber, Frank Alvarez, and many more. Finally, my husband Julian Dodson has been the best colleague, friend, partner, and support system that I could have hoped to find. Without his support and advice this whole process would have been much less enjoyable and for that I thank him. v "BASICALLY INTELLIGENT:" THE BLIND, INTELLIGENCE AND GENDER IN ARGENTINA, 1880-1939 by Rebecca A. Ellis B.A., HISTORY AND POLITICAL SCIENCE, CARROLL COLLEGE, 2003 M.A., HISTORY, UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO, 2009 PH.D., HISTORY, UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO ABSTRACT My dissertation examines the links between disability, intellectuality, labor and gender in Argentina between 1887 and 1939. It demonstrates how intellectual capacity and education created distinctions between the blind and other disabled populations. Those distinctions helped organizations for the blind acquire private and public resources for projects designed to make the blind independent through occupational training. However, the same arguments that aided organizations drove debates over the definition of independence for the blind. Sighted activists believed education would diminish the dependency of the blind on their families and social services through the sale of small crafts. Blind leaders believed that education would create self-sufficiency through access to well-paid and dignified labor. Debates about education were contemporary with the rise of international medical theories about heredity that informed political debates on social policy. These theories labeled the intellectually and mentally disabled as particularly dangerous to national health. Blind activists hoped that by securing the idea that the blind were intellectually vi normal, they could secure blind men dignified employment. What constituted dignified labor was, however, contested. Conservative activists argued that any work that allowed blind men to provide for their family was dignified. Activists with connections to the left argued that only jobs in which the blind competed with the sighted, and were accepted as equals, represented dignified employment. The conflict between these two viewpoints drove the expansion of institutes for the blind but also divided relatively scarce resources. Once sparked, debate about the direction and purpose of programs for the blind continued until the creation of a comprehensive institute in 1939. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................1 Vicenta Castro Cambón...............................................................................1 Blindness in Argentina.................................................................................6 Institutions for the Blind in the United States and Europe........................10 Heredity, Intellectuality, and Blindness.....................................................15 Comparative Disability History.................................................................25 Sources and Archives.................................................................................31 Organization...............................................................................................34 Conclusion.................................................................................................37 CHAPTER 2: "POR AMOR DE DIOS:" BLINDNESS AND INSTITUTIONS IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY.......................................................................38 Introduction................................................................................................38 Blindness and Disability Before Specialized Institutions..........................44 Ophthalmology and Blindness...................................................................55 Institutional Models in Europe and the United States...............................63 The Thomas Drysdale School for the Blind, 1884-1885...........................65 Conclusions................................................................................................76 CHAPTER 3: "THE MAN SHOULD MANDATE:" BLINDNESS, AUTHORITY, AND THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR THE BLIND...............................79 Introduction................................................................................................79