‘Positive and Scientific’. The Influence of Enrico Ferri in Late-Nineteenth Century Argentine Socialism

Abstract

Whereas the early history of socialism in Argentina can be traced back to the mid-nineteenth century, a new era began in 1881, when exiled German social democrats began to spread socialist ideas among local workers. Other groups soon emerged, and in 1896 a congress brought them together into a single organisation. A decisive role in this process of centralisation was played by Juan Bautista Justo, an Argentine-born physician who offered the party a reformist perspective, committed to parliamentary practices and apprehensive toward industrial action. This article explores one feature of this political development: the translation and publication of Socialismo e scienza positiva (Darwin-Spencer-Marx), by the Italian intellectual Enrico Ferri. The translation is a case in point to explore how intellectual exchanges came to play in the early stages of the socialist movement in the Global South. This was the first local socialist endeavour to translate a foreign book—until then, Argentine socialists had been selling translations originally published in Spain. This article examines the main takeaways that Argentine socialists took of Ferri’s book, showing how the volume provided them with theoretical support and academic prestige to consolidate a perspective that emphasised the gradual and peaceful character of their emancipatory project.