University of New Mexico Press A Woman, a Man, a Nation: Mariquita Sánchez, Juan Manuel De Rosas, and the Beginnings of Argentina (Diálogos Series)

Review By tracing the lives of two persons who in their respective ways defy neat categorization, Shumway's book provides a fascinating tour through the tempestuous decades of postcolonial transition in what would become Argentina.--Eduardo Elena, The AmericasA fascinating journey through Argentina's nineteenth century following two remarkable, parallel lives.--Gabriel Di Meglio, University of Buenos AiresShumway has given us a tantalizing peek into the role of personal and familial relationships within postcolonial Argentine society and political life.--Pamela Murray, H-LatAm Product Description In 1837 Mariquita Sánchez de Mendeville was so fed up with governor Juan Manuel de Rosas that she chose to leave her beloved city of Buenos Aires. Leaving was especially hard because Mariquita felt that she had played an influential role in transforming Buenos Aires from a Spanish colonial outpost into a brilliant capital in a world of republics. Juan Manuel de Rosas's version of order alienated Mariquita, who chose self-imposed exile in Montevideo over living under Rosas's stifling rule. The struggle went on for nearly two decades until Mariquita finally came home for good in 1852 while Rosas went into exile. Mariquita's and Juan Manuel's lives corresponded with the major events and processes that shaped the turbulent beginnings of the Argentine nation, many of which also shaped Latin America and the Atlantic World during the Age of Revolution (1750-1850). Their lives provide an overarching narrative for Argentine history that both scholars and students will find intriguing. About the Author Jeffrey M. Shumway is an associate professor of history at Brigham Young University. He is the author of The Case of the Ugly Suitor and Other Histories of Love, Gender, and Nation in Buenos Aires, 1776-1870.