Peronism as a Big Tent
The Political Inclusion of Arab Immigrants in Argentina
Raanan Rein, Ariel Noyjovich, Isis Sadek
- 272 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
Peronism as a Big Tent
The Political Inclusion of Arab Immigrants in Argentina
Raanan Rein, Ariel Noyjovich, Isis Sadek
About This Book
Argentina's populist movement, led by Juan PerĂłn, welcomed people from a broad range of cultural backgrounds to join its ranks. Unlike most populist movements in Europe and North America, Peronism had an inclusive nature, rejecting racism and xenophobia.In Peronism as a Big Tent Raanan Rein and Ariel Noyjovich examine Peronism's attempts at garnering the support of Argentines of Middle Eastern origins â be they Jewish, Maronite, Orthodox Catholic, Druze, or Muslim â in both Buenos Aires and the interior provinces. By following the process that started with PerĂłn's administration in the mid-1940s and culminated with the 1989 election of President Carlos Menem, of Syrian parentage, Rein and Noyjovich paint a nuanced picture of Argentina's journey from failed attempts to build a mosque in Buenos Aires in 1950 to the inauguration of the King Fahd Islamic Cultural Center in the nation's capital in the year 2000. Peronism as a Big Tent reflects on PerĂłn's own evolution from perceiving Argentina as a Catholic country with little room for those outside the faith to embracing a vision of a society that was multicultural and that welcomed and celebrated religious plurality. The legacy of this spirit of inclusiveness can still be felt today.