Alberto Flores Galindo
Encyclopedia
Alberto Flores Galindo (Bellavista, Callao
, May 28, 1949 - Lima
, March 26, 1990) was a famous Peru
vian historian
, social scientist
, and essay
writer. He was the founder of the Centro de Investigacion Casa SUR.
. Later, he entered the Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru under the Faculty of History. At age 22 he had already concluded his thesis on miners from Cerro de Pasco
, and obtained the grade of "outstanding." This thesis was later published by the university in the form of a book.
As a result of his studies, he obtained a scholarship from the École des hautes études en sciences sociales
of Paris
. Upon returning to Peru
he dedicated his time to university research at the Universidad Católica, and also spent time as a reporter for newspapers and magazines. During the 1980s he founded SUR, the Casa de Estudios del Socialismo (House of Socialist Studies), and made it both an editorial station and a center of intellectual discussions. Moreover, he also founded the magazine Margenes and published it through SUR.
He was a prolific historian and one of the most influent Peruvian leftist intellectuals of the 1980s. Flores Galindo constantly promoted various debates about Marxism
through intellectual thought (La Agonia de Mariategui, 1980) and social history (Aristocracia y Plebe, 1984). In this last book he was inspired by the works of E.P. Thompson, an English Marxist historian. With this influence, he was able to analyze and understand Peruvian colonial society in terms of class, but not in terms of individuality but rather as related concepts. Other major influences in his works came from Franz Fanon, the French historians from the Annales School
, and the Peruvians Jose Carlos Mariategui
, Jose Maria Arguedas
, and Jorge Basadre
.
The collection of essays entitled Buscando un Inca: Indentidad y Utopia en los Andes (Searching for an Inca: Identity and Utopia in the Andes), originally published in 1986, obtained the Premio Ensayo de Casa de las Americas in Cuba
. With the book, Flores Galindo sought to formulate a link between socialist thought and Andean traditions. He was the first historian to write about racism
in Peru through the 1988 version of Buscando un Inca in the chapter entitled República sin Ciudadanos (Republic without Citizens).
Callao
Callao is the largest and most important port in Peru. The city is coterminous with the Constitutional Province of Callao, the only province of the Callao Region. Callao is located west of Lima, the country's capital, and is part of the Lima Metropolitan Area, a large metropolis that holds almost...
, May 28, 1949 - Lima
Lima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
, March 26, 1990) was a famous Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
vian historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
, social scientist
Social Scientist
Social Scientist is a New Delhi based journal in social sciences and humanities published since 1972....
, and essay
Essay
An essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. The definition...
writer. He was the founder of the Centro de Investigacion Casa SUR.
Biography
Alberto Flores Galindo was born in Lima to a medium-class family. He spent his school years studying in the private religious school La SalleLa Salle
- People :* Antoine Charles Louis de Lasalle , French cavalry general during the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars* Denise LaSalle , singer* Eriq La Salle , actor...
. Later, he entered the Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru under the Faculty of History. At age 22 he had already concluded his thesis on miners from Cerro de Pasco
Cerro de Pasco
Cerro de Pasco is a city in central Peru. It is the capital of the Pasco region, and an important mining center. It is connected by road and by rail to the city of Lima.- Overview :...
, and obtained the grade of "outstanding." This thesis was later published by the university in the form of a book.
As a result of his studies, he obtained a scholarship from the École des hautes études en sciences sociales
École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales
The École des hautes études en sciences sociales is a leading French institution for research and higher education, a Grand Établissement. Its mission is research and research training in the social sciences, including the relationship these latter maintain with the natural and life sciences...
of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. Upon returning to Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
he dedicated his time to university research at the Universidad Católica, and also spent time as a reporter for newspapers and magazines. During the 1980s he founded SUR, the Casa de Estudios del Socialismo (House of Socialist Studies), and made it both an editorial station and a center of intellectual discussions. Moreover, he also founded the magazine Margenes and published it through SUR.
He was a prolific historian and one of the most influent Peruvian leftist intellectuals of the 1980s. Flores Galindo constantly promoted various debates about Marxism
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
through intellectual thought (La Agonia de Mariategui, 1980) and social history (Aristocracia y Plebe, 1984). In this last book he was inspired by the works of E.P. Thompson, an English Marxist historian. With this influence, he was able to analyze and understand Peruvian colonial society in terms of class, but not in terms of individuality but rather as related concepts. Other major influences in his works came from Franz Fanon, the French historians from the Annales School
Annales School
The Annales School is a group of historians associated with a style of historiography developed by French historians in the 20th century. It is named after its scholarly journal Annales d'histoire économique et sociale, which remains the main source of scholarship, along with many books and...
, and the Peruvians Jose Carlos Mariategui
José Carlos Mariátegui
José Carlos Mariátegui La Chira was a Peruvian journalist, political philosopher, and activist. A prolific writer before his early death at age 35, he is considered one of the most influential Latin American socialists of the 20th century...
, Jose Maria Arguedas
José María Arguedas
José María Arguedas Altamirano was a Peruvian novelist, poet, and anthropologist who wrote mainly in Spanish, although some of his poetry is in Quechua...
, and Jorge Basadre
Jorge Basadre
Jorge Basadre Grohmann was a Peruvian historian known for his extensive publications about the independent history of his country...
.
The collection of essays entitled Buscando un Inca: Indentidad y Utopia en los Andes (Searching for an Inca: Identity and Utopia in the Andes), originally published in 1986, obtained the Premio Ensayo de Casa de las Americas in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. With the book, Flores Galindo sought to formulate a link between socialist thought and Andean traditions. He was the first historian to write about racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
in Peru through the 1988 version of Buscando un Inca in the chapter entitled República sin Ciudadanos (Republic without Citizens).
Works
- Los Mineros de la Cerro de Pasco (1974) (The Miners from Cerro de Pasco)
- La Agonia de Mariategui. La polemica con la Komintern (1980) (Mariategui's Agony: Problems with the CominternCominternThe Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern, also known as the Third International, was an international communist organization initiated in Moscow during March 1919...
) - Apogeo y Crisis de la República Aristocrática (with Manuel Burga)
- Aristocracia y Plebe. Lima, 1760-1830. Estructura de Clases y Sociedad Colonial (1984)
- Buscando un Inca: Identidad y utopía en los Andes (1986, 1988); Searching for an Inca: Identity and Utopia in the Andes
- La Tradición Autoritaria (posthumously published) (The Authoritarian Tradition)