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Culture & Identity of Argentina

Introduction

The Argentines seem to have a culture that resembles, but doesn't perfectly imitate that of Europe. Unlike a melting pot culture, Argentina seems to have adopted certain aspects of various cultures more than they have merged these cultures. The Argentines speak Spanish like Spain, but they like to say they eat like Italians, live like the French and think like the English, all of which is true to some degree. The Argentines are European in ethnicity, fashion, food, lifestyle, and work, especially when compared to many of their neighbors. This leads to a way of life that falls somewhere between that of Europe and that of South America, but is wholly Argentine.

Argentina is an incredibly urban country with over 90% of the population living in cities. This is slightly challenging the culture in a number of ways, most notably since the culture of Argentina is, in many ways, based on the lifestyle of the ranchers, who are by definition rural. The ranchers also enjoy long extended lunches, but today in the cities this practice is slowly dying as many jobs ask their employees to work from about 9:00 am to 5:00 pm; therefore eliminating the long lunch many people still enjoy. The business landscape is slowly altering the daily schedule in Argentina, but few people view work as being as important as friends or family. None-the-less, the people do well financially, especially compared to many other South American countries as the GDP per capita is nearly $20,000.

No matter the job one has, most Argentines begin the work day or school day sometime around 8:00 or 9:00 am and for many people the day is broken up with a long lunch break and perhaps a nap. For those who do go home to have an afternoon break, they may not get back to work until as late as 5:30 pm, then will work until nearly 9:00 pm, while those with more western-styled jobs may be home by 5:30 pm each night.

Most evenings begin at about 9:00 pm with dinner, eaten with the family as adults get home from work and kids return from sports practice or other after school activities. On Fridays and Saturdays many people in Argentina enjoy going out to bars or nightclubs as dancing is quite popular; this can last as late as dawn the following morning. Social life in Argentina is very important and this time dancing, going out, grilling out (a Saturday favorite), watching sports together, etc. is an integral aspect of the culture. Being in the southern hemisphere, most summer vacations and time off school takes place from about November to February.

This emphasis on their social life and those they spend time with is clearly rooted in Spain and southern Europe as time and punctuality is less important than fully giving one's attention to the present company. However, other aspects from Europe have also made their way to Argentina, creating a culture and way of life that, in many ways, also reflects northern Europe. Another noticeable difference in Argentina's culture is an almost complete lack of indigenous influence, from food and dress to ethnicity and language.

Identity

The Argentines identify in numerous ways as most mestizos and ethnic Europeans identify as being "Argentine," while many of the native people identify with their individual tribe, or more often with their linguistic group.

For those who identify as being "Argentine," which makes up most of the country's population, they define the term in various ways. The definition tends to shift from one that connects Argentina with the rest of South America to one that differentiates the country from the rest of South America, often depending on personal beliefs or politics. This means one person may define being "Argentine" as being a citizen of a country built on the foundation of Spanish colonization, language, food, and religion (the Catholic Church), while another person may believe it should be defined as being a citizen of a country that is a European melting pot of Italians, Spanish, French, Germans, and others.

No matter the definition, most Argentines agree that the culture and political entity are at the core of the definition. This makes the identity inclusive of all citizens of Argentina and links all these people through a shared history and culture, most importantly the gaucho traditions as ranchers.

This page was last updated: November, 2013