In Search of “Authentic Nationalism”: The Institutionalization of Folk Dance Repertoires in Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru in the Mid-Twentieth Century

Abstract

This paper comparatively addresses the constitution of folkloric repertoires of Peruvian, Bolivian, and Argentine dances and their institutionalization during the 1940s and 1950s. Its purpose is to reflect on the diverse meanings and aesthetic and identity-related valuations attributed to the expressive elements that were constructed within them as “Indigenous,” “Andean,” “Afro,” and “Criollo.”

Through the study of historical sources and our own ethnographic materials, the article outlines the formation of these repertoires, accounting for the main actors involved—governments, cultural managers, artists, researchers, and disseminators—who gave rise to the creation of cultural heritage forms and modes of national being.

During this period, folkloric research institutions and programs encouraged the preservation and compilation of what they considered survivals—music, dance, and oral literature—within the framework of a sociocultural process characterized by intense internal migrations, which brought about ambivalent feelings toward popular sectors.

Finally, we consider that, in the three cases analyzed, ideological apparatuses were developed that supported a hegemonic vision of historical processes, based on unilinear projects concerning national culture. Therefore, in the representation of national identities, certain expressive elements were valued over others, which ultimately legitimized the authentic repertoires of Bolivian, Peruvian, or Argentine folklore.