ABSTRACT
In Argentina, history and politics are closely intertwined. Different governments and political tendencies have used history as a source of legitimacy or as a political statement. Thus there is no consensus in terms of Argentinian national history. Yet, history is passionately debated by people in general.
This chapter reviews the author’s personal work as an activist historian in Argentina. The main idea is to contribute to the discussion set out by Raphael Samuel in terms of “working class history, popular history” (1984, 1991). The underlying premise is that this history belongs to an ongoing search for a more complete comprehension of working-class history and processes.
It also discusses the problems of teaching history outside academe, as well as evolving pedagogical tools, reactions, and variations according to each group. It considers how to teach history to union members in Argentina. The chapter grapples with how to adapt Giroux’s work to Latin American needs, the uses of Vilar’s concepts in terms of “thinking historically” or of Hobsbawm in terms of what history tells us about contemporary society.
