History of ideas, essay history and intellectual history in Latin America (20th century)

Abstract

In this article through an intellectual history’s approach, we analyze the intellectual figure’s consolidation in France with the Dreyfus Affair in 1898 to understand the differences with history of ideas. This article shows where the popularity of the word “intellectual” comes from, which allow us to establish agreements and disagreements between history of ideas, essay history and intellectual history in Latin America in the 20th century. As researchers have showed, the popularity of “intellectual” adjective or noun is related to the Dreyfus Affair in 1898, conjuncture that is also considered the birth of intellectuals’ group. Thus, through this article it will be understood that not all essayists or history of ideas’ writers are intellectuals.