An invitation to intellectual history. Opening speech of the II Congress of Latin American Intellectual History

Abstract

This article constitutes the opening speech pronunced by the autor at the 2nd version of the Congress of Latin American Intellectual History, held on November 12th, 2014 at the Argentinian Scientific Society. It starts by distinguishing two different traditions: the “history of ideas” and the “intellectual history” in Latin America. From this startpoint, the author developes an updated reconstruction of the trajectory of the latter, placing the work of Juan Marichal as an opening landmark of such tradition. The author reviews the most important names and moments of that which constitutes the distinctive focus of intellectual history: the formation (and transformation) of intellectual communities and editorial projects that emphasizes group and collective work over a single author’s individual creation. Featuring literary societies, artistic and cultural associations, different journal’s editorial projects, among others, that both at national and international level, articulates this newly but no less fertile tradition in Latin America. The author concludes by highlighting several current iniciatives that aims for further developement of such tradition.