The press and its relationship with the sedimentation of national identities: a study on the cases of Brazil and Paraguay in the context of La Gran Guerra

Abstract

This historical research examines the changes that occurred in the press as a refection of the process of ​​sedimentation of national identities, that emerged in the second half of the 19th century, a period in which the newly independent countries in South America were consolidating themselves as National States. In our approach, we focused on two cases: Brazil and Paraguay. Our main objective is to demonstrate that it was necessary to create and disseminate national symbols in order to establish identities and define the feeling of belonging to the country. In this sense, we conceive that the “Guerra do Paraguai”, or La Gran Guerra, was a major motivation for the fabrication of these national identities. In this context, the print media fulfilled the important role of validating symbols, forging the limits of nationalities in both sides of the conflict. With this perspective, we analyzed the performance of the periodicals A Imprensa and El centinela, respectively published in Brazil and Paraguay, highlighting in the study of these cases a greater logic of press action.