Republics of Knowledge

Abstract

The rise of nation-states is a hallmark of the modern age, yet we are still untangling how the phenomenon unfolded across the globe. This book offers new insights into the process of nation-making through an account of nineteenth-century Latin America, where, it argues, the identity of nascent republics was molded through previously underappreciated means: the creation and sharing of knowledge. Drawing evidence from Argentina, Chile, and Peru, the book traces the histories of these countries from the early 1800s, as they gained independence, to their centennial celebrations in the twentieth century. It identifies how public exchange of ideas affected policymaking, the emergence of a collective identity, and more. It finds that instead of defining themselves through language or culture, these new nations united citizens under the promise of widespread access to modern information. The book challenges the narrative that modernization was a strictly North Atlantic affair, demonstrating that knowledge traveled both ways between Latin America and Europe. And it looks at how certain forms of knowledge came to be seen as more legitimate and valuable than others, both locally and globally; suggesting that all modern nations can be viewed as communities of shared knowledge, a perspective with the power to reshape our conception of the very basis of nationhood. The book opens new avenues for understanding the histories of modern nations — and the foundations of modernity — the world over.