Oscar del Barco Editor: The Construction of a Politics of Theory at Ediciones Caldén

In this paper, we look at how theory and publishing practices were intertwined in Argentina between 1967 and 1976. We do so by analyzing “El hombre y su mundo” [“The Man and His World"], a collection of books directed by Oscar del Barco for Ediciones Caldén (Argentina) during that period. We hold that del Barco´s multifaceted work as editor, translator, compiler, and essayist, created a politics of theory, focusing on two interrelated aspects: 1) a poetics of publishing, with translations of works by political theorists, structuralist and poststructuralist thinkers coming together in a unique collection mediated by del Barco’s critical texts, and 2) a "smuggling" publishing practice –as texts were selected, translated and shaped into small books from foreign magazines with no copyright permission. We see a performative force in such interrelation of theory and publishing strategies, as “El hombre y su mundo” made available books through practices and materialities that acted upon what those very books were calling for.

Abstract licence: CC BY

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