Love, Zeal and Patriotism towards the Construction of the Political Subject: Emotional Politics during the Chilean Revolution of Independence, 1808–23

Abstract

Although Chilean independence has been the focus of much historiographical attention, the study of political emotions is still a pending issue. This essay aims to understand the experience and the role of love, zeal and patriotism during the Chilean independence process between 1808 and 1823. By studying these expressions and their associated practices, the essay argues that love, zeal and patriotism were used to imagine and design the characteristics of the desired political subject, which was conceived as playing a fundamental role in the success of the political project aimed to be established. To this end, the essay will make use of a variety of documentation from the period, but taking as a core document the epistolary of Bernardo O’Higgins, one of the most important figures of the Chilean emancipation process, and of the Southern Cone.