Abstract

CAVIERES F., Eduardo. Petite nobleness: analyzing a concept and revisiting historical and historiographical experiences applied to colonial Chile. Let. hist. [online]. 2018, n.18, pp.17-36. ISSN 2448-8372.  https://doi.org/10.31836/lh.18.6582.

The present article reviews the concept petite bourgeoisie to observe how it has been used within the historiography of the Chilean colonial period. It begins with the specifications given by Alvaro Jara related to the use of this concept during the XVI century. Then, it outlines the way such concept was defined by European authors, and it finally focuses on the Chilean context, aiming to characterize the petite bourgeoisie according to Immanuel Wallerstein’s ideas, and taking into consideration the concrete empirical cases under research. The above would lead to the conclusion that although the word Count, as a nobility title, has the same semantic meaning everywhere, it does not mean the same for a real Count than for someone who lives in Madrid, Lima or La Serena (Chile).

Keywords : petite nobility; Chile; colonial period.