Resumen

VICUNA, Manuel. EL BESTIARIO DEL HISTORIADOR: LAS BIOGRAFÍAS DE "MONSTRUOS" DE BENJAMÍN VICUÑA MACKENNA Y LA IDENTIDAD LIBERAL COMO UN BIEN EN DISPUTA. Historia (Santiago) [online]. 2008, vol.41, n.1, pp. 189-214. ISSN 0717-7194.  doi: 10.4067/S0717-71942008000100007.

This article identifies and analyzes a heterogeneous body of texts (books, press articles, pamphlets and personal diaries) authored by Chilean historian Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna. These texts form part of a single constellation of meaning characterized by the effort of appropriation of a liberal identity, although they concern different subjects and were intended for diverse readerships. This identity was not defined based on the disputes with the Catholic Church or by the Conservative Party. Instead identity was defined by taking into account the fight for electoral freedom and the democratizing effects of popular sovereignty. The article explores the works of Vicuña Mackenna and various episodes of his life to contextualize the circumstances of the texts analyzed.

Palabras clave : Historiography; Liberalism; Revolution; Alterity.