ABSTRACT
The roots of populist nationalism in Argentina go back to the early independence period of the 1830s to 1850s, and since then it has played a critical role in the struggle over national identity. Moreover, it became well established as a style of political leadership in the first half of the twentieth century. Most recently, we saw its reemergence under Presidents Néstor Kirchner (2003–2007) and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner (2007–2015). Three things distinguish the tradition of populist nationalism in Argentina: its long history, the frequency with which it has defined the “enemy” as those with a different understanding of the nation and national identity, and its ideological fluidity. After defining populist nationalism and reviewing the scholarly literature, I examine the historical development and evolution of populist nationalism in Argentina, concluding with an analysis of the Kirchner era. Despite the rejection of populist nationalism by the current president Mauricio Macri, I argue that both as a leadership style and as a critical factor influencing ideas about national identity, it is highly likely to remain a persistent feature of Argentine politics for the foreseeable future.
