Argentina Culture Smart - by Mary Godward and Robert Hamwee
ISBN: 1787023362Date read: 2024-05-22
How strongly I recommend it: 5/10
(See my list of 360+ books, for more.)
Go to the Amazon page for details and reviews.
Basic information in preparation for travel.
my notes
Argentinians are quite homogeneous - it is not the multicultural society we find in other Latin American countries.
More than 4 million people entered the country between 1857 and 1920.
Spanish and Italians were by far the largest groups of immigrants.
Roman Catholic 62.9%
Evangelical 15.3%
None 18.9%
Judaism and Islam 1.5%
Other 1.4%
The name Argentina derives from the word argentum, the Latin for silver.
Argentina was officially “discovered” in 1516 by the Spanish navigator Juan Díaz de Solís, although many writers attribute its discovery to a Florentine explorer by the name of Amerigo Vespucci (Américo Vespucio in Spanish) in 1502. Vespucci was the first to claim that the newly discovered continent was not part of Asia (as originally thought); the mapmaker Martin Waldseemuller bestowed upon him, rather than Columbus, the title of discoverer of America and so named the continent after him.
July 9, 1816 Argentina declared independence.
After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Argentina and Chile were the only two American countries that refused to sever ties with the Axis powers. This policy led to the virtual economic isolation of Argentina by the United States.
A coup in 1976 brought one of the worst dictatorships.
The war with Britain in 1982 over the Falkland Islands, or Islas Malvinas, contributed to the government’s own downfall.
By the early 1980s terrorism had been eradicated. Order had been restored, but at an inhumane price, and Argentina was now led by a military government.
At least eight thousand people disappeared without trial during this so-called “dirty war.” (Upper estimates put the figure as high as thirty thousand.)
Elections in 1989 and again in 1995: This was the first time in over half a century that power in Argentina was handed from one elected government to another.
The years since the reestablishment of democratic government in 1983 has been a period characterized by a feeling of having to make up for lost time.
Buenos Aires inhabitants are called Porteños.
Buenos Aires, accounts for over one-third of Argentina’s population.
Children live with their parents until they get married.
Main factor is a financial one, as property is expensive and until a few years ago mortgages, not many can afford them.
Argentinians are neither very disciplined in their everyday life, nor great team players.
Their character has been molded by external factors rather than driven by internal values.
Bending the rules slightly to their own advantage, Argentinians are basically honest people who for many years have been at the mercy of dishonest governments, high taxation, and crippling laws and this has resulted in a cynical approach to life, and particularly to politics, and as a result people often try to find a way to cut corners. Who you know is still more important than what you know.
Bribery (coima), a result of poor pay among civil servants and an inefficient bureaucratic apparatus, is widespread.
Loopholes in the system will be exploited with a self-gratifying sense of having outsmarted the rest.
This attitude (“viveza criolla” or “avivada”) has given the Argentinians a bad reputation among other Latin American countries, who sometimes see them as supercilious and arrogant.
Argentinians are very sociable but in general don’t have a strong community spirit, outside that generated by the church they might attend.
Working as a team or in a group can therefore be a challenge, as each member will probably try (albeit not maliciously) to outsmart the rest.
The education system is not designed to produce team players, but stars.
In politics, business, and even the arts, where merit is ascribed normally to one individual rather than to a group of people.
Individualists by nature, perhaps due partly to a permanent mistrust of their political leaders, putting themselves first at the expense of the collective.
Argentina is a Catholic country where divorce was illegal until 1987.
Argentinians have embraced liberal views on sexual matters.
First country in Latin America to legalize same-sex marriage, including adoption rights, in 2010.
In Argentina, female names like María are frequently used as second names for men, and by the same token the traditionally male name José can be used as a woman’s middle name.
So for example, María José is a woman’s name, while José María is a man’s name.
Pilgrimage from Buenos Aires to Luján: The fifty-mile walk takes place every October and often sees over a million taking part.
Argentines welcomed the election of Jorge Bergoglio as Pope Francis in 2013.
Argentinian society generally has a low level of tolerance for uncertainty.
To minimize or reduce uncertainty, strict rules, laws, policies, and regulations, Argentinians have a tendency to control everything in order to eliminate or avoid uncertainty.
As a result, they will rarely embrace or even accept change and tend to be averse to risk-taking.
Mate refers to both the container and the herb infused.
The yerba mate is infused in hot (not boiling) water in the container (mate) and drunk with a sophisticated steel straw called a bombilla.
Very social drink and passing one mate around a group.
Talking is a great Argentinian pastime. Conversations can go on for hours.
When meeting someone socially, kissing someone of the opposite sex on the cheek once is the norm.
Brushing your chin with the top of your hand outward means “I don’t know.”
Yawning in public is considered rude.
Timekeeping is mainly determined by context and in more informal situations is almost irrelevant.
When it comes to parties, lunches with friends, and similar social events, start times are really only indicative.
Punctuality might even be considered rude.
Being kept waiting is quite normal.
Dinner: 8:00 p.m. or as late as midnight.
Wine is drunk at most mealtimes.
Public drunkenness is rare.
36.5 percent of the population live below the poverty line.
A lingering result of hyperinflation, as well as unsound economic policies and austerity plans.
Welfare provision has increased dramatically since 2001, when only eight hundred thousand people received help from the government.
By 2023, that number had risen to just under 12 million.
Annual inflation rate of 94.8 percent in 2022.
When looking at a menu, regardless of class, Argentinians will always keep a close eye on the price column.
A girl’s fifteenth birthday is a very important event that is traditionally celebrated with a big party (Fiesta de Quince).
Tipping is more common in Buenos Aires than elsewhere.
Toast is Salud! (literally, “health”).
Cash is still widely used.
Buenos Aires has more bookshops per inhabitant than any other city in the world.
“Che”: What Does It Mean? This ubiquitous, informal, very singular three-letter word is used to convey a variety of messages.
Its most common use is to informally call someone: “Che, dónde vas?” (“Hey, where are you going?”)
Ernesto Guevara, the famous leader of the Cuban revolution, was nicknamed “Che” by the Cubans as a result of his distinctive Argentinian accent and his frequent use of the word “che.”
Brazilians see the Argentinians as arrogant and abrupt.
Most Argentinians don’t feel particularly comfortable with silence.
This is perhaps more true of city dwellers than those living in remote rural areas, however.