Resumo

GESSAGHI, Victoria. The making of the argentine upper class: an anthropological perspective. Intersecciones antropol. [online]. 2012, vol.13, n.2, pp.393-408. ISSN 1850-373X.

This paper describes "the making of the upper class." By analyzing the life trajectories of 63 members of "traditional families" between 80 and 30 years old it describes how, in their struggle to establish themselves as a privileged group, the "great families" produce differences that arise from their "traditional names," their connection with "the land," and their connection with "national history". The article presents the constant work involved in the making of the "upper class," which implies keeping the family together through family stories that seek to integrate the interests of each of its members. The role of conflict within families is described in order to show their productive part in the "construction of the traditional family." Finally, the limits imposed on the creation of this social group by the egalitarian configuration of Argentinean society are analyzed. The work contributes to the analysis of the uses of certain metaphors of kinship as vectors of legitimacy in the access to certain social positions and highlights the importance of including family relationships in the analysis of capitalism.

Palavras-chave : High class; Kinship; Social difference; Group formation.

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