The Valparaíso (Chile) Anglophone Periodical Press: Voices from the Borders of Empire

Abstract

Whenstudying the anglophone periodicals produced in Valparaíso, Chile, the mainport on the South American West Coast of the Pacific in the 19th century and apoint of connection and transoceanic transit before the opening of the PanamaCanal, we stand face to face with the reality of multilingualism in a specificgeo-cultural space. This place ⸻  theHistoric Quarter of the Seaport of Valparaiso, recognised by UNESCO as a WorldHeritage Site for its cultural diversity, since ‘the city was populated and influencedby people from around the world’⸻ was co-inhabited by immigrant colonies fromdifferent European countries and linked to navigation, industry and globaltrade. Alongside the group belonging to the British diaspora, there were otherforeign communities established in this city: German-speaking, French-speaking,Italian-speaking (among others less numerous). Beyond their occupations, eachof these groups of settlers had its own social, educational and culturalinstitutions, and, of course, its own print media. Each newspaper was a keyinstrument in maintaining the cohesion of these foreign language communities,around a common identity cultivated in reference to their homeland.