ABSTRACT
In 1986, the Argentine federal government launched the Pedagogical Congress to remake the country's education system. In the words of president Raúl Alfonsín, the Congress was to be a unifying enterprise to overcome the “egotistical, individual, and sectarian impulses” of the past. Education would be remade for a new, modern Argentina. To the chagrin of many organizers, the Catholic Church and its supporters came to dominate Congress proceedings, fearing a threat to religious education and state subsidies for parochial schools. The Congress became an opportunity for the Church to reassert a long-standing cultural authority in nation building. In many regards though, it was a short-lived victory. The Congress became a crucible for larger conflicts—including sexual freedom, abortion, and divorce—spearheaded by the Church, over how the new, democratic Argentina would take form.
