A critique of the Latinamerican history of ideas purpose of the works that studied Juan Bautista Alberdi’s political thought. Analysis of Natalio Botana’s "The Republican Tradition"

Abstract

This paper is part of a larger research that seeks to establish that the works that analyzed the political thought of Juan Bautista Alberdi, at least a significant number of them, are, having assumed the characteristic methodological approach of the history of ideas in Latin America, predominantly mythological. In particular, this article seeks: a. to present the logic which shows that the adoption of the method of the history of ideas of such region led, to a large extent, to the development of studies with the aforementioned mythological trait. This task will be performed, mainly, by combining the methodological reflections of Quentin Skinner and Elias Palti; and b. to implement this proposal to the analysis of Natalio Botana’s The Republican Tradition, one of the most significant studies devoted to the analysis of the work of the tucumano publicist.