Becoming Chilean: Hipólito Gutiérrez and the Construction of Chilean National Identity During the War of the Pacific (1879–1881)

Abstract

This article investigates a memoir written in 1881 by Hipólito Gutiérrez, a semi-literate man from rural Chile, about his experiences as a soldier in the War of the Pacific (1879–1884). Through a microhistorical approach, it seeks to contextualize the memoir with the aim of uncovering how Gutiérrez constructed himself to be Chilean through his participation in the war. Unlike assessments made by past scholars, Gutiérrez cannot be considered representative of Chilean peasant-soldiers. The memoir provides a window into which researchers can see agency in action by a subaltern actor and how national identity is constructed from below.