Towards a History of Latin American Exile in the Nineteenth Century. Introduction

Abstract

This dossier seeks to examine the role of exile in nineteenth-century

Latin America, in order to give historical perspective to the growing literature

on exile in the region in the twentieth century and provide a wider

perspective to European-centered studies of exile in the period. Ranging

from the independence period to the early twentieth century, it explores the

continuities and the evolution in the practice of exile during the formative

century that saw the birth of independent republics and the emergence of

modern nation-states. The introduction highlights this historiographical

contribution, exploring the particularities of Latin American exile. Using

a broad definition of exile, it also addresses the legal and social categories

used to understand and regulate exile in the period, independent of political

ideology, and explores how the study of the mechanisms of exile can shed

new light on the familiar political historiographies, or those of war, class,

race, and gender. Finally it examines how exile intersects with questions

of sovereignty, nation-building, and territorial dynamics, underscoring the

transnational and foundational aspect of exile in the national and international

politics of the region.