Argentine Wings: The State, Popular Culture, and the Creation of a Technological Future in Argentina, 1910-1955

During the first half of the twentieth century, Argentines harnessed the symbolic power of aviation technology to advance the practice of flight in their nation and—in the process—articulate an aspirational Argentine technical identity. Elites and common people grappled with modernization through the construction of a new but contested sense of Argentinidad—“Argentineness.” The airplane proved a powerful symbol of this identity. Argentines increasingly perceived of the aviation industry as an avenue to upward mobility, masculine confirmation, and national development. Despite setbacks in the transfer of the technology to Argentina, this cultural valuation sustained the practice of aviation and led to the creation of the nation’s modern aviation system under Juan Perón. Through analysis of state documents, popular media, and aviation community publications, this dissertation reveals how aviation became a fundamental aspect of Argentine politics and society, bound to changing discourses of class, gender, race, and the role of government