Citro, Silvia: "Los indígenas chaqueños en la mirada de los jesuitas germanos: idealización y disciplinamiento de los cuerpos"."Anthropos, "Sank Agustin, Alemania (en prensa, 2008)

Abstract:

I examine the representations of indigenous bodies in the texts and images by German Jesuits Paucke and Dobrizhoffer, missionaries among two Guaycuru peoples of the Argentine Chaco in the mid-18th century. I propose a methodological approach focusing on the relations between iconography and text in the historical sources as a complement of the ethnographical study. These works show one of the first and more lasting representations of the Guaycuru natives in which are confronted two imaginaries of their bodies: the idealization of its "strength" and "health", according to the "noble savage" model, and the disciplining of its "bad savage" manners.