Towards a History of Latin American Exile in the Nineteenth Century. Introduction

Abstract

This dossier seeks to examine the role of exile in nineteenth-century
 Latin America, in order to give historical perspective to the growing literature
 on exile in the region in the twentieth century and provide a wider
 perspective to European-centered studies of exile in the period. Ranging
 from the independence period to the early twentieth century, it explores the
 continuities and the evolution in the practice of exile during the formative
 century that saw the birth of independent republics and the emergence of
 modern nation-states. The introduction highlights this historiographical
 contribution, exploring the particularities of Latin American exile. Using
 a broad definition of exile, it also addresses the legal and social categories
 used to understand and regulate exile in the period, independent of political
 ideology, and explores how the study of the mechanisms of exile can shed
 new light on the familiar political historiographies, or those of war, class,
 race, and gender. Finally it examines how exile intersects with questions
 of sovereignty, nation-building, and territorial dynamics, underscoring the
 transnational and foundational aspect of exile in the national and international
 politics of the region.