Asuntos de familia.... La construcción del poder en la Patagonia: el caso de Neuquén

Abstract

This paper offers an approach to the process of consolidation of dominant sectors in Patagonia from the study of landowners and merchant groups, traditionally reduced to a single social subject. The formation of the most important family groups entailed to land property and cattle ranching is studied, as so the urban and rural trade is also included. A special emphasis is put to find this groups’ accumulation strategies, which were related to production advancements, credit management and the supply of goods to the different governments of the National Territories. Likewise, this article shows those strategies based on the exploitation of comparative advantages obtained from the simultaneous handling of Atlantic and Pacific markets. Finally, relations spouted from ethnic ties are analyzed because they are very important in the case of syrianlebanese families of Neuquén. Power networks to which family interweavings gave place are studied too.