The Landowners of the Argentine Pampas: A Social and Political History, 1860-1945. ROY HORA: Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001.

Abstract

If Roy Hora had post-modernist inclinations, his book might have been entitled The Invention of the Estanciero Class.He does not possess such inclinations. What he has given us is a well-written and clear presentation of the emergence of the estancieros as a separate, powerful and influential class, and then their decline. The focus is on the great landowners of the pampas, particularly those of the Province of Buenos Aires. If one were forced to place the work in a single category of history, it would be difficult, since it lies at the intersection of social, political, intellectual, and economic history. Although the book could not have been written much earlier, given its dependence on current historiography and its willingness to move beyond ideologically charged visions of large estate owners, it is traditional history in most senses. In the opinion of this reviewer, that is a good thing.