From the Pampa to the Mashriq: Arab-Argentine Philanthropy Networks

Abstract

This article analyzes the sphere of institutionalized charity operated by Argentines with heritage ties to the Middle East in the first half of the twentieth century. This study places women’s work at the center of an analysis of local and transnational networks, as well as the fostering of cultural production within the diaspora. In doing so, it reveals women’s work as a lens for delineating important connections between diasporic populations in the provinces and the federal capital of Argentina. The philanthropic projects that generated these links also provide insight into the lives and financial choices of other groups—such as rural and proletarian Arab-Argentines—who are often peripheral to Mahjar historiography.