¿Is El Gaucho Martín Fierro in a place of enunciation contrary to the coloniality of power?

Abstract

In this article, I analyze the evolution of Martín Fierro, the most emblematic work both nationally and internationally, representing the gaucho as a subaltern subject. I examine the socio-political context in which the gaucho is situated, with particular focus on the civilization/barbarism binary, which is central to the construction of the Argentine nation. Additionally, there will be a trace of the transformation of Martín Fierro, from its beginnings as a piece of "minor literature" to its role as a representative of criollo culture, its shift into a "national epic," and finally, its establishment as a symbol of Argentine identity— a discourse that, in its early stages, the work itself seemed to criticize.