Desde afuera. Las dinámicas fronterizas de la provincia de Atacama y la construcción del territorio nacional (1840-1866)
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Rev Cien Cult
Abstract
La periferia atacameña fue un espacio lejano a las regiones históricas del centro de Bolivia que forjó su propia historia al gozar de cierta autonomía debido a la lejanía y la burocracia. Fue un territorio vital por tener como capital de provincia Cobija, el único puerto de Bolivia. Empero, la visión nacionalista ha distorsionado la realidad de las dinámicas socioeconómicas y sobre todo la construcción de frontera entre el Atacama boliviano y el norte de Chile. Es por ello que este artículo propone ver durante los años de 1840 a 1866 el manejo del territorio atacameño desde afuera, es decir, desde la propia periferia. Esta visión, lejana a los discursos estatales, coadyuva a entender cómo la provincia se forjó a sí misma y paulatinamente dentro del territorio nacional, hasta ser un espacio importante que invirtió la relación de poder hasta dictaminar el rumbo del territorio boliviano.
The periphery of Atacama was a space very distant from the historical regions of the center of Bolivia, which led to it forging its own history, given that it enjoyed a certain degree of autonomy as a result of its remoteness and the bureaucracy present in the center of the country. Its importance as a territory was vital, for its capital was the city of Cobija, Bolivia's only port. However, the nationalist vision has distorted the reality of the socioeconomic dynamics and particularly the establishment of a border between the Bolivian Province of Atacama and northern Chile. For this reason, the article proposes considering - in the period from 1840 to 1866- the management of the territory of Atacama from the outside; that is, from the periphery itself. This vision, removed from State discourses, aids in understanding how the province forged itself, and gradually as a part of the nation's territory, to become an important space which inverted the power relations and eventually became a decisive player in the future of Bolivia's territory.
The periphery of Atacama was a space very distant from the historical regions of the center of Bolivia, which led to it forging its own history, given that it enjoyed a certain degree of autonomy as a result of its remoteness and the bureaucracy present in the center of the country. Its importance as a territory was vital, for its capital was the city of Cobija, Bolivia's only port. However, the nationalist vision has distorted the reality of the socioeconomic dynamics and particularly the establishment of a border between the Bolivian Province of Atacama and northern Chile. For this reason, the article proposes considering - in the period from 1840 to 1866- the management of the territory of Atacama from the outside; that is, from the periphery itself. This vision, removed from State discourses, aids in understanding how the province forged itself, and gradually as a part of the nation's territory, to become an important space which inverted the power relations and eventually became a decisive player in the future of Bolivia's territory.
Description
Vol. 23, No. 42