Raúl Scalabrini Ortiz
Encyclopedia
Raúl Scalabrini Ortiz was an Argentine
writer, journalist, essayist and poet, friend of Arturo Jauretche
and Homero Manzi
, and loosely associated with the political group Fuerza de Orientación Radical de la Joven Argentina (FORJA).
Scalabrini Ortiz was born in Corrientes
, the son of the naturalist Pedro Scalabrini, who was the director of the museum of the city of Paraná, Entre Ríos
. He studied in the Faculty of Exact Sciences and became a land surveyor
; then he moved to Buenos Aires
and got involved in the literary conflicts of the Boedo and Florida
groups. In 1923 he started writing short stories
, collected in a book, La Manga; he was then a journalist for the newspapers La Nación
, El Mundo and Noticias Gráficas, and founded and directed Reconquista.
In his youth, Scalabrini Ortiz participated in a Marxist
group called Insurrexit; he also travelled to several provinces for work reasons, and at 26 he visited Paris
, France
, from where he returned disappointed by the xenophobic
attitude of its citizens. Like everyone in Argentina, he felt the effects of the Great Depression
, and then saw the coup d'état
against president Hipólito Yrigoyen
that began the Década Infame, marked by conservative rule perpetuated by electoral fraud
.
During the 1930s he wrote to denounce the exploitation of Argentina for the benefit of the oligarchy
and foreign interests. From its foundation in 1935 onwards, he was linked to FORJA (Fuerza de Orientación Radical de la Joven Argentina, "Force of Radical Orientation of the Young Argentina"; the acronym also means "forge
" in Spanish), an internal offshoot of the Radical Civic Union
. FORJA was accused variously of being Marxist, Nazi
, and pro-American
; its members rejected all labels.
Together with Arturo Jauretche, Scalabrini Ortiz is considered a pioneer of historical revisionism
in Argentina, a fervently nationalistic
and anti-liberal current of historiography
that became especially influential in the 1960s.
By 1942, Scalabrini Ortiz was jobless. He had to resort to a newspaper classified ad to earn a living, noting that he possessed an ample general culture, experience and knowledge in many fields. He finally returned to his original occupation as a surveyor, and continued working when he died in Buenos Aires in 1959, at the age of 61. An avenue
in the city of Buenos Aires is named in his honor.
In his journalistic articles and flyers, Scalabrini Ortiz tried to show the general public what he had learned by investigating. In one article he advised the reader:
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
writer, journalist, essayist and poet, friend of Arturo Jauretche
Arturo Jauretche
Arturo Martín Jauretche was an Argentine writer, politician, and philosopher.-Early years:...
and Homero Manzi
Homero Manzi
Homero Nicolás Manzioni Prestera, better known as Homero Manzi was an Argentine Tango lyricist, author of various famous tangos....
, and loosely associated with the political group Fuerza de Orientación Radical de la Joven Argentina (FORJA).
Scalabrini Ortiz was born in Corrientes
Corrientes
Corrientes is the capital city of the province of Corrientes, Argentina, located on the eastern shore of the Paraná River, about from Buenos Aires and from Posadas, on National Route 12...
, the son of the naturalist Pedro Scalabrini, who was the director of the museum of the city of Paraná, Entre Ríos
Entre Ríos Province
Entre Ríos is a northeastern province of Argentina, located in the Mesopotamia region. It borders the provinces of Buenos Aires , Corrientes and Santa Fe , and Uruguay in the east....
. He studied in the Faculty of Exact Sciences and became a land surveyor
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
; then he moved to Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
and got involved in the literary conflicts of the Boedo and Florida
Florida group
The Florida group were a Buenos Aires-based avant-garde literary group in the 1920s, known for their embrace of "art for art's sake"...
groups. In 1923 he started writing short stories
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
, collected in a book, La Manga; he was then a journalist for the newspapers La Nación
La Nación
La Nación is an Argentine daily newspaper. The country's leading conservative paper, the centrist Clarín is its main competitor. It is the only newspaper in Argentina still published in broadsheet format.-Overview:...
, El Mundo and Noticias Gráficas, and founded and directed Reconquista.
In his youth, Scalabrini Ortiz participated in a Marxist
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...
group called Insurrexit; he also travelled to several provinces for work reasons, and at 26 he visited 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...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, from where he returned disappointed by the xenophobic
Xenophobia
Xenophobia is defined as "an unreasonable fear of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange". It comes from the Greek words ξένος , meaning "stranger," "foreigner" and φόβος , meaning "fear."...
attitude of its citizens. Like everyone in Argentina, he felt the effects of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, and then saw the coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
against president Hipólito Yrigoyen
Hipólito Yrigoyen
Juan Hipólito del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús Irigoyen Alem was twice President of Argentina . His activism became the prime impetus behind the obtainment of universal suffrage in Argentina in 1912...
that began the Década Infame, marked by conservative rule perpetuated by electoral fraud
Electoral fraud
Electoral fraud is illegal interference with the process of an election. Acts of fraud affect vote counts to bring about an election result, whether by increasing the vote share of the favored candidate, depressing the vote share of the rival candidates or both...
.
During the 1930s he wrote to denounce the exploitation of Argentina for the benefit of the oligarchy
Oligarchy
Oligarchy is a form of power structure in which power effectively rests with an elite class distinguished by royalty, wealth, family ties, commercial, and/or military legitimacy...
and foreign interests. From its foundation in 1935 onwards, he was linked to FORJA (Fuerza de Orientación Radical de la Joven Argentina, "Force of Radical Orientation of the Young Argentina"; the acronym also means "forge
Forge
A forge is a hearth used for forging. The term "forge" can also refer to the workplace of a smith or a blacksmith, although the term smithy is then more commonly used.The basic smithy contains a forge, also known as a hearth, for heating metals...
" in Spanish), an internal offshoot of the Radical Civic Union
Radical Civic Union
The Radical Civic Union is a political party in Argentina. The party's positions on issues range from liberal to social democratic. The UCR is a member of the Socialist International. Founded in 1891 by radical liberals, it is the oldest political party active in Argentina...
. FORJA was accused variously of being Marxist, Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
, and pro-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
; its members rejected all labels.
Together with Arturo Jauretche, Scalabrini Ortiz is considered a pioneer of historical revisionism
Historical revisionism
In historiography, historical revisionism is the reinterpretation of orthodox views on evidence, motivations, and decision-making processes surrounding a historical event...
in Argentina, a fervently nationalistic
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
and anti-liberal current of historiography
Historiography
Historiography refers either to the study of the history and methodology of history as a discipline, or to a body of historical work on a specialized topic...
that became especially influential in the 1960s.
By 1942, Scalabrini Ortiz was jobless. He had to resort to a newspaper classified ad to earn a living, noting that he possessed an ample general culture, experience and knowledge in many fields. He finally returned to his original occupation as a surveyor, and continued working when he died in Buenos Aires in 1959, at the age of 61. An avenue
Scalabrini Ortiz Avenue
Avenida Scalabrini Ortiz is an avenue that runs through Villa Crespo and Palermo neighborhoods of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and goes from southwest to northeast, parallel Avenida Juan B. Justo...
in the city of Buenos Aires is named in his honor.
Works and quotes
Perhaps the work that better defines Scalabrini Ortiz is the "Five principles of inner cooperation" (Cinco principios de cooperación interna). These principles he describes in the following manner:
- Principle of the collective man, because the will of the number, which is like the surname of the collectivity, must be above the individuality. Not the wealth nor the wit or wisdom have the right to silent or mock the great voice of the necessity of the each collective group, which is the voice that best approximates the will of destiny.
- Principle of the man's comprehension, for this complex unity to be always present with its biological, moral, intellectual and spiritual necessities, and for the human reality never to be sacrificed to an abstract norm or a scheme without life.
- Principle of the protection of the weakest, to abolish the 'Law of the Jungle' and establish a real possibility of equality. Everything that is not legislated, is implicitly legislated on favour of the strong. The theoretical equality is a practical inequality on favour of the powerful.
- Principle of natural resources, because the property is a delegation of the power of a collective organization that made it possible and supports it.
- Principle of the collective utility of the profit, so that nobody has the right to obtain benefits of activities to the detriment of or useless to the society, and therefore all profit or benefit of the product of somebody else's mind or the fruitless retention of a good, must be considered null and illicit since they don't originate in the own work nor genius.
In his journalistic articles and flyers, Scalabrini Ortiz tried to show the general public what he had learned by investigating. In one article he advised the reader:
"These matters of economy and finance are so simple that they are within reach of any child. They only require knowledge of addition and subtraction. When you do not understand something, ask until you do understand. If you do not understand, it is because they are trying to steal from you. When you understand that, you will already have learned how to defend the motherland on the immaterial order of economic and financial concepts."