Argentina

Race, Ethnicity, and Social Strata

Race and ethnicity are important components of Argentinean identity and provide a basis for many social networks. In Argentina, the designation Creole is used, as Mestizos is used in most of Latin America and does not refer to those of pure European descent. River Plate or Gaucho culture are other labels for people of mixed European and indigenous descent. Distinct regional cultures exist among the Andean and guarani indigenous peoples, whose remaining populations are difficult to estimate, as well as a small population of Afro-Argentineans. Urban areas have a variety of immigrant groups, both legal and illegal. There can be friction between these groups, most notably in urban areas, where immigrants provide competition for employment and housing.

Argentineans' shared national culture provides a common social bond for those within and outside the country. Its definition can be controversial, including both the rural pampas tradition of the Argentinean cowboys known as gauchos, with their mestizo, Spanish, and Roman Catholic influences; and the cosmopolitan urban tradition of Buenos Aires, with its secular European and immigrant influences. Another national unifier is lunfardo, which blends and transforms Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, and indigenous words and phrases to create a unique colloquial language. National icons can also be controversial and include José de San Martín; Juan Manuel de Rosas; and Juan Domingo Perón and his wife María Eva Duarte de Perón, commonly known as Evita. Argentineans also unite behind territorial disputes such as the war with Britain for the Malvinas (Falkland) Islands, as well as under cultural symbols such as the tango, soccer, and mate drinking.

Argentina has historically been a stratified society, providing a class basis to many social networks. Most of the population and wealth reside in Buenos Aires and the surrounding countryside. Traditionally, landed elite known as estancieros dominated the upper class. However, urbanization and economic and social restructuring weakened the power of the estancieros while admitting merchants and businessmen to the upper class. A large urban middle class of immigrant descendants shrank during the economic crisis of the 1980s and 1990s, with many becoming the “new poor.” Mestizo and indigenous populations who migrated to urban areas for employment are derogatorily referred to as cabecitas negras (black heads) or negro/a and often build their own social networks based, in part, in opposition to social exclusion and discrimination and in the struggle for their rights. Foreign immigrants also face occasional discrimination. Status markers include dress, Western (traditionally European) cultural influences, speech patterns, and body language.

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