Immigration in Argentina

Argentina has traditionally been an immigrant country. With people from mostly European ancestry, Argentina's culture is richly European. A movement called "liberalism" swept through much of Latin American towards the end of the nineteenth century. Unlike the conservative leaders before them who tried to maintain order with secret police forces while enjoying power, liberal leaders pushed for change. They wanted progress. This meant distancing themselves from the Catholic Church and Spanish influence. The liberals looked to the United States, England, and France as successful democracies that had achieved progress. Argentina wanted Europeans to come promote their ideals of growth and progress. Native culture was seen as a barrier to progress. This led Argentina to relocate or kill the native population in many places. They wanted to have room for expansion and for foreign immigration and investment. This happened for many years and still does today.

Immigration is still occurring in Argentina, but with different immigrants. According to this article from The Economist, most of the immigrants are coming from other Latin American countries. Unlike the old liberal days, those of all race and nationality (including indigenous peoples) are invited. Other Latinos, like the Bolivians pictured here, will probably become a more familiar site in Argentina over the next few years. President Kírchner says that Argentina won't close its doors to anyone and will try to help those who come. This is a very important issue for Argentine culture. Massive immigration from Latin America will gradually change the culture of Argentina. It will be interesting to see how this plays out in the future.