Workers Go Shopping in Argentina: The Rise of Popular Consumer Culture

321 Pages·2013·3.27 MB·English

by  Natalia Milanesio

M
History | Latin America n 1951 an Argentine newspaper an-
i
l
a nounced that the standard of living
n I
of workers in Argentina was “the highest
Natalia Milanesio is assistant professor “Eloquently explains how the Argentine working class made a grand e
s in the world.” More than half a century
of history at the University of Houston. entrance into a preexisting world of consumption during the period of Juan Domingo
i
o later, Argentines still look back to the mid-
Perón. Milanesio convincingly argues that Perón supported such an entrance because
twentieth century as the “golden years of
the making of workers into consumers complemented his plan for industrial growth,
Peronism,” a time when working people
reinforced his image as an advocate of the work-
#
who had struggled to make ends meet just
ing class, and served as a source of political legit- W
a few years earlier could now buy ready-
imacy. Once developed as a social and cultural
o
category, workers-consumers transformed adver- made clothing, radios, and even big-ticket
r
tising—giving this field a national flare—and cre- k items like refrigerators. Milanesio explores
ated a distinctive working-class consumer identity e this period marked by populist politics, in-
that democratized access to public space, altered r Workers Go dustrialization, and a fairer distribution of
s
gender norms, and threatened middle-class status the national income by analyzing the rela-

Jacket photos courtesy of Archivo General G
and conservative factions of Argentine society.” tions among consumers, consumer goods,
de la Nación
o
—Julio Moreno, author of Shopping in manufacturers, advertising agents, and Juan

S
Jacket design by Lila Sanchez Yankee Don’t Go Home!: Mexican Nationalism, Domingo Perón’s government (1946–1955).
h
American Business Culture, and the Shaping of Combining theories from the anthro-
o
Modern Mexico, 1920–1950 p pology of consumption, cultural studies,
p and gender studies with the methodolo-
i
“Natalia Milanesio’s fascinating account of working-class consumer cul- n gies of social, cultural, and oral histories,
ture generates a series of eye-opening insights that will reshape the dominant inter- g AA rrggee nn ttii nn aa r Milanesio shows the exceptional cultural
a
l
pretations of Peronism. Her analysis of advertising as well as her attention to shifting i u and social visibility of low-income con-
p
n o e
gender roles constitute original contributions to the scholarship on what many histori- f P t u r sumers in postwar Argentina along with
ans consider the critical juncture in the modern history of Argentina. Equally impres- o u l their unprecedented economic and politi-

A e C
sive is her expert use of oral history to uncover what expanded consumption meant for R is e r cal influence. Milanesio’s central premise
workers themselves. This is a terrific book that is a must read for all historians of mod- e m is that working-class consumers shaped a
r h u
T s
ern Argentina and for anyone interested in consumption and consumerism throughout g n new commercial ethos, transformed so-
o
e C
Latin America.” cial relations and collective identities, and
n
—Matthew B. Karush, author of Culture of Class: Radio and
t redefined the role of the state. The author
i
Cinema in the Making of a Divided Argentina, 1920–1946
reveals the scope of the remarkable trans-
n
a formations fueled by the new market by
examining the language and aesthetics
University of New Mexico Press isbn 978-0-8263-5241-5
of advertisement, the rise of middle- and
ËxHSKIMGy352415zv*:+:!:+:!
unmpress.com
upper-class anxieties, and the profound
800-249-7737
Natalia Milanesio changes in gender expectations.
Workers Go Shopping in Argentina

Workers Go
Shopping in
A r g e n ti n a
The Rise of Popular Consumer Culture
NaTalia MilaNesio
#
University of new Mexico AlbUqUerqUe
© 2013 by the University of New Mexico Press
All rights reserved. Published 2013
Printed in the United States of America
18 17 16 15 14 13 1 2 3 4 5 6
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Milanesio, Natalia, 1974–
Workers go shopping in Argentina : The rise of popular consumer culture /
Natalia Milanesio.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8263-5241-5 (cloth : alk. paper) —
ISBN 978-0-8263-5243-9 (electronic)
1. Consumption (Economics)—Argentina.
2. Consumers—Argentina—History—20th century.
3. Working class—Argentina—History.
4. Argentina—Economic conditions—20th century.
I. Title.
HC180.C6M55 2013
306.30982—dc23
2012032707
Cover design and type composition by Lila Sanchez
Composed in New Caledonia LT Std 10.25/13
Display type is New Caledonia LT Std
Cover: A shoe store in Buenos Aires and a grocery store run by the
Eva Perón Foundation. Photo courtesy of Archivo General de la Nación.
#
To César

c
ontents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
Chapter 1
Industry, Wages, and the State: The Rise of Popular
Consumer Culture 16
Chapter 2
Surveys and Campaigns: Discovering and Reaching the
Worker-Consumer 51
Chapter 3
Commercial Culture Becomes Popular: Advertising and the
Challenges of a Changing Market 83
Chapter 4
“How Can a Garbage Collector Be on the Same Level as We Are?”:
Upper- and Middle-Class Anxieties over Working-Class
Consumers 123
Chapter 5
Love in the Time of Mass Consumption 158
Chapter 6
Tales of Consumers: Memory and Working-Class
Material Culture 190
Epilogue
Consumer Culture Today 220
Notes 233
Selected Bibliography 277
Index 295
vii

A
cknowledgMents
During my time as a graduate stu-
dent at Indiana University, I ben-
efited from the expertise of a group of talented historians of Latin America.
Arlene Díaz, Jeff Gould, Peter Guardino, and Danny James made graduate
school unceremonious and intellectually stimulating. I want to thank Danny
especially for supporting my choices throughout my studies and Peter for
his frank advice in all things academic. Konstantin Dierks was truly gen-
erous with his counsel and encouragement throughout graduate school.
I would like to thank him for being an avid and thoughtful reader from the
start. Mike Grossberg offered his invaluable advice at a key moment during
the final stage of graduate school.
I am also grateful to Matt Karush, Eduardo Elena, Rebekah Pite,
Katharine French-Fuller, and Oscar Chamosa for sharing their enthusiasm
and knowledge of Argentine history in conferences and conversations, and
to Julio Moreno, Jeffrey Pilcher, Ricardo Salvatore, and Donna Guy for their
ix