Parades, celebrations, promenades. Images of sociability in squares and parks in the city of Córdoba (1910 - 1930).

Abstract

The aim of this article is to analyze discourses and images of the daily newspa-per “La Voz del Interior” and “Los Principios” between 1910 and 1930, rela-ted to informal sociability of women and men in parks, squares and walkwaysof Córdoba, as part of a modernization process of the city.Observe forms of sociability of subjects allow us to examine the assertions thatunderlie common sense linked to the assignment of women to private or do-mestic space of home and family. In this sense, in the newspaper both men andwomen appear participating in the daily walks, parties and informal talks; deve-loping heterogeneous practices crossed mainly by gender, social class and pla-ces of residence, as well as by generation.Since 1910, the sociability of public spaces is embodied by the press since itslink with morality. The activities of the “social life” are identified mainly withwhat has been done by the aristocratic upper classes, reinforcing the legitimacyof their customs, aesthetics and “tasteful”, giving this social stratification –andespecially  their  families  and  women–  the  model  to  imitate.  In  speeches  andnewspaper  pictures,  show  the  cultural  models  which  are  related,  tastes  in  artand  culture.  Access  to  these  “public”  spaces  seems  restricted  to  those  withcertain funds, deployed in the show before others.Instead, since 20‘s in the newspapers sociability tends to appear more dynamic,in a tension between civilization, modernity and the emergence of a variety ofpublic-threatening  “morality”  and  pacification  of  the  old  days.  It  was  evidentchanges in a city in expansion into the neighbourhoods and a multiplication ofspaces intended for leisure time.Both newspapers excel ambiguities and tensions regarding this process of mo-dernization, but appear, in one way or another, the need to safeguard order andmorality of people who use public space.