Issues of nation-building in the Latin American intellectuals and elites rhetoric: from the past to the present

Introduction. The review and analytical study based on the constructivist approach, examines the evolution of the Latin American intellectuals and elites rhetoric on the key issue of nation-building in Latin America after independence. Based on the example of a number of countries of the continent (Argentina, Peru, Brazil, Venezuela), analyses were made of the views of intellectuals and elites on the prospects of nation-building in the XIX - early XX century, the understanding and interpretation of the colonial past, the opinion of European culture, heritage and liberal values, the attitude to the indigenous population and former African slaves and the definition of their place in the future nation, reasoning about national identity and unique way of the Latin American continent. Aims. To estimate the role of intellectuals and their influence on vectors of development of the Latin American region. Results. The influence of different directions of social and political thought (theories of racism, racial democracy, indigenism), as well as the change of political regimes, on the rhetoric of intellectuals and elites in the XX century has been demonstrated. The change of rhetoric of elites and intellectuals in different historical periods has been traced chronologically, with features of nation-building for a specific country being revealed. Conclusion. At the present stage there is a significant shift in the views of intellectuals and elites on the “national question” towards the recognition of the ideas of equality of rights and opportunities of all ethnic groups, as well as support for the fight against racial discrimination in public policy.