Peripheries of the Sociology: The Sociology of Literature in Argentina

When approaching the sociology of literature in Argentina, at least two main dimensions emerge on its outlying situation: not only the peripheral condition of Argentine sociology within Western sociology, but also the marginal (even neglected) position of the sociology of literature within the local sociology. Pablo Alabarces has already called attention to this problem regarding the sociology of culture and some of its connections to the sociology of literature. However, as he tends to dissolve the latter into the first one, I find it relevant to establish a more detailed account of the sub-discipline. Given that there are no international overviews (in English) on the development of this area of studies in Argentina, I propose a presentation that takes into account not only the main authors and published works (starting with the key works by Carlos Altamirano and Beatriz Sarlo in the 70s and 80s), but also the publication of intraductions (local translations of foreign works), the development of teaching activities and the celebration of conferences, among other factors of importance. Framed within a general perspective of an international (although disconnected) sociology of literature, the description of the history and the current state of the sub-discipline in Argentina can also function as a way to bear in mind one of the more unstable sides of sociology.