Estar in the Peronism or being Marxist

A trajectory of Kusch’s philosophical and political positions in 60s and 70s

Abstract

In this paper, I analyze Günter Rodolfo Kusch’s philosophical and political trajectory in the 1960s and 1970s, highlighting his positions on Peronism and Marxism. I distinguish three stages, based on a series of conceptual, terminological, and evaluative shifts. The first, from 1962 to 1966, is characterized by postulating a relative equivalence between Peronist and Marxist political options, considering both as alternative paths to arriving at American authenticity, expressed in the concept of estar. In the second stage, between 1966 and 1970, Kusch contrasts Peronism and Marxism, presenting them respectively as expressions of the people and of the Europeanized middle class; thus, the possibility of achieving American authenticity is restricted to the Peronist path, which in turn must ward off the danger of possible Marxist infiltration. Finally, in the third stage, between 1973 and 1975, we can see the Kuschean assumption of the liberationist discourse, the militant adhesion to Peronism, in a cultural key, and, on that basis, a series of criticisms of the Peronist left, in line with the orthodoxy promoted by the movement’s leadership, are evident. The work concludes with an evaluation of various alternative explanations for the journey outlined.