The Atlántida magazine by David Peña. Between the impulse to unite the «soul of America» and the vehemence to reaffirm the nation

Abstract

This article proposes the study of Atlántida magazine (Buenos Aires, 1911-1914) as a cultural object, and as an editorial project by the historian and writer David Peña. It makes a general presentation of the publication, which can be considered an expression of the Hispanic-American and Argentine cultural context of the early 20th century. In particular, it is concerned with gauging the Americanist purpose that its director intended to impress upon it, while establishing how his concern for the national was translated into three defined moments in the trajectory of the publication: the Centennial of May, the electoral reform of 1912 and associative sociability. At last, and also with reference to Peña’s topics of interest, it places it in relation to the development of historical discipline in Argentina. To carry out this study, we worked longitudinally with the magazine’s complete collection, as the main source of information, which was complemented with documentation consulted in David Peña’s personal archive and in other publications of that time. From an axis of analysis that evaluates the imprint that its director marked, the article contributes to the knowledge of an Argentine cultural magazine so far little frequented by specialists.