Humanist education, classical culture and republican legitimacy: the oratory battle between Andrés Bello and José Joaquín de Mora (1828-1830)

Abstract

Between April and July 1830, the enlightened elite of Chile witnessed a tough academic debate between the directors of the Liceo de Chile and the Colegio de Santiago, José Joaquín de Mora and Andrés Bello. This article seeks to analyze the discourses of this controversy in relation to the political and cultural context that framed it. The hypothesis suggests that, in addition to reflecting a partisan struggle, the concepts and topics developed in the debate offer a representative testimony of the imaginary and ideas about education and political authority of the cultural community and the Chilean political elite, in the context of consolidation of the republican system.