The Background and Results of State-Controlled Immigration in Argentina

Abstract

In today’s public debates migration and its perception occupy a prominent place. We can hear plenty of opinions claiming that migration as a social phenomenon is a negative phenomenon; these opinions emphasize the undesired effects and consequences. In this paper the author wishes to nuance this picture showing a less-known historical example where immigration was not considered harmful or undesired, but a sought-after phenomenon. The example presented is Argentina in the second half of the nineteenth century. The paper studies the social conditions that allowed the South American country to accept the second highest number of migrants after the United States. The author reviews the thoughts of the mid-nineteenth century Argentine positivist intellectual elite on immigration that led to the complete renewal of their society. This article traces the ideas of the generation of ‘37, also called civilizators, which significantly influenced the Argentine Constitution of 1853, examines the resulting immigration policy measures that helped repopulate the vast country. As a result of these measures the population of the South American country increased ten times over sixty years; as a consequence, the white European ethnic groups have been dominant ever since. The article also touches upon the social circumstances that led to the downfall of the pro-immigrant views, resulting in Argentina – similarly to other countries of the South American continent – closing the borders from the newcomers.