Marriage market, social status, and cultural patterns: The case of traditional argentine families between 1900 and 1940

Abstract

This article examines the marriage market of Argentine traditional families in the period spanning from 1900 to 1940, based on a sample of 550 marriages and the analysis of their social and cultural patterns. The timeframe chosen includes the period of greatest splendor of these families in Argentine society (roughly between the year 1900 and the mid 1910s) as well as the years that saw the demise of their influence (the 1920s and 1930s). The aim is to shed light on the relationship between marriage patterns and the rise and fall of traditional elites, an issue that has so far been neglected by Argentine historiography.