On April 24, 2024, PhD candidate Nayeli Riano from the Department of Government presented a chapter of her dissertation in which she analyzes the “Carta Pehuenches,” a document written by Chilean author Juan Engaña between 1819 and 1820 that is considered the first novel of Spanish America. In these letters, Engaña contrasts the development of South American cities with his hometown in Chile, Pire-Mapu. In her presentation, Nayeli talked about how she analyzed the written style of the letters, which were written in an Enlightenment literary style and how they show a tradition of discourse. More broadly, Nayeli’s research examines the concepts of barbarism vs civilization in the “Cartas” in order to better understand and convey the nation-building project of Chile. Attendees engaged with Nayeli around questions regarding her choice of the Pehuenches and asked her thoughts on the intended audience of the letters. To learn more about the project, please visit the LARS page.
