French Literature Reviews - 2026

X. M. Núñez Seixas, Literary Icons and Social Stereotypes - The Image of Galician Immigrants in Argentina (1800-1960)
History, Politics and Society

Xosé M. Núñez Seixas, Literary Icons and Social Stereotypes - The Image of Galician Immigrants in Argentina (1800-1960)

University Press of Franche-Comté, coll. "Annales littéraires de l'Université de Franche-Comté", 2013.

186 p.

EAN 9782848674483

8,00 EUR

Publisher's Description:

Galician immigrants, who constituted approximately 15% of Europeans arriving in Argentina between 1840 and 1950, were subject to a negative stereotype portraying them as honest, hardworking individuals, yet intellectually limited. Originating in the late 18th century and bolstered by the anti-Spanish sentiment of the 19th-century independence movement, this stereotype has persisted to the present day, adapting to successive waves of immigration and shifts in cultural vectors (theater, cinema, radio). The case of Galicians in Argentina exemplifies the mechanisms and challenges of the social and cultural integration process for European immigrants in Latin American societies.

A specialist in nationalisms, European emigration to Argentina, and the cultural history of war, Xosé M. Núñez Seixas (Ourense, Galicia, 1966) is a Professor of Contemporary History at Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich.

The study examines how Galician immigrants, who made up roughly fifteen percent of European arrivals in Argentina between 1840 and 1950, encountered specific social perceptions upon arrival. Originating in the late eighteenth century and reinforced through nineteenth-century anti-Spanish sentiments during independence movements, these portrayals characterized newcomers through fixed traits associated with industriousness and intellectual limitations. The work traces how these representations persisted over time, adapting to later immigration waves and changing cultural channels such as theater, cinema, and radio broadcasts, while also illustrating the broader mechanisms and difficulties involved in the social and cultural integration of European immigrant groups within Latin American societies during the modern period. Readers interested in the history of European emigration to Latin America or the cultural construction of migrant identities may find this text relevant.