In this paper we analyze Carolina Tobar García's remarks about mental deficiency after her return, in 1932, from a trip to the United States in the framework of the “good neighbor” policy, promoted by the northern country. The objective was to promote good political, economic, cultural and scientific relations between the USA and Latin America. It is emphasized that some key notions held by Tobar García after her return to the country responded to American values and contrasted with the ideas and proposals of the Argentine specialists. The methodology used is based on the qualitative and interpretative analysis of bibliographic sources from the perspective of critical history of psychology, intellectual history, circulation of knowledge and the political social history that addressed the relationship between Argentina and the USA within the period. In conclusion, cooperation initiatives between these two countries made a visible impact on the works of Tobar García. This is especially clear in the considerations of democratic values, and in the author's position regarding sterilization. We also observe the processes of appropriation and integration of foreign and local experiences in the culmination of her doctoral thesis.
Keywords:
Argentina, history of psychology, Tobar García, United States
Author Biography
Victoria Molinari, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (Conicet); Universidad de Buenos Aires; Universidad Nacional de La Plata
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (Conicet), Buenos Aires, Argentina Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Molinari, V. (2018). Carolina Tobar García’s proposal on mental deficiency after her experience in the United States. Revista De Psicología, 27(1), pp. 1–15. https://doi.org/10.5354/0719-0581.2018.50747
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