Postal diplomacies. The archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affaires and the history of information networks in South America

Authors

  • Lila Caimari Universidad de San Andrés (UdeSA). Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET). Argentina

Keywords:

mail, telegraph, postal conventions, archives

Abstract

Drawing from a body of diplomatic sources produced in the context of postal and telegraphic negotiations between the late XIXth and early XXth centuries, this article reflects on the potential of such documents for a history of the great information expansion of that period. It argues that analyses based on infrastructures, technologies and business history need to integrate state “postal diplomacies” in the picture. Disseminated along many years, those practices between diplomacy and technical expertise reveal structural features of the system, including the place of Argentina in the global information network, and long-lasting policies to subsidize access to international contents. Finally, the essay assesses the role of international relations archival repositories in a social and cultural history of the circulation of printed goods.

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Published

2020-12-31

How to Cite

Caimari, L. (2020). Postal diplomacies. The archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affaires and the history of information networks in South America. Revista Electrónica De Fuentes Y Archivos, (11), 31–47. Retrieved from https://revistas.unc.edu.ar/index.php/refa/article/view/33084

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