The biographical illusion and the search for Argentinean and Latin American significance in the autobiography of Libertad Lamarque

Abstract

Starting from the idea that biography as a form of representation of the subject constructed from the relationship between memory and identity, both ephemeral and defined from their relationship with a particular historical context, as proposed by authors such as Pierre Bourdieu and Roger Chartier, we propose an analysis of biographies of Libertad Lamarque, in particular his autobiography published after 60 year career, in 1986. Libertad was one of the most successful artists in theater, radio, cinema and music industry in Argentina between 1920s and 1945, when, for alleged conflicts with Eva Peron, did not get more work in this country and migrate to Mexico. In his autobiography, the artist used different discursive strategies to make a certain version about the Argentine national identity and the identities of the Latin American nations and associate their identity with these versions. We intended to contribute to discussions about how they were make and massed on certain versions of the national identities of the countries of Latin America focusing on the struggles of representations present in these processes.