Masculinities at the “Escuela de Agricultura y Ganadería «María Cruz y Manuel L. Inchausti»” (1934-1976)

Abstract

We analyze the first four decades of the history of the Inchausti School, covering the period from its creation in 1934 to the beginning of the last civil-military dictatorship in 1976. This agricultural and livestock education institution was located in the province of Buenos Aires. It was almost exclusively for boys, was affiliated with the National University of La Plata, and offered a boarding school system. We describe its different curricula, orientations, authorities, and major changes, focusing especially on how masculinities were constructed. We examine the characteristics these masculinities should have and the main practices that contributed to this construction. We adopt a gender perspective, anchored in an intersectional perspective, based on the idea that educational institutions are central to educating boys with different characteristics. Using a qualitative methodology, we analyzed numerous and varied written sources, complemented by oral sources from former students from the last few years considered and productions by various authors. We construct a series of periods based on the major changes that occurred in the regional, national, and university contexts. We show how the school sought to differentiate itself from another agricultural institution dependent on the university, which had been dissolved in 1928, and thus proposed an education oriented toward "on-site" work (which diminished over the years) and was linked to the regional reality. Thus, it was linked, at least in part, to the Fresquista and Peronist proposals that had been in force since 1936 and 1946, respectively. Regarding the latter position, a certain sympathy was also found, which, after 1955, was avoided by the UNLP. We interpret that the institution sought to produce competent, capable, practical, disciplined, but also self-regulated, heterosexual, hardworking, clean, respectful of hierarchy, dedicated, and austere men.