The Political Economy of Civilization

The Colombian intellectual elite of the 19th century were relatively few in number, dispersed geographically, & relatively poor in comparison to their North American counterparts. However, they clearly differed from the rest of the Colombian population because of their high literacy rate, their Creole ethnicity, & their largely male gender. They initially held power not because of their economic advantage, but because of their education & civilizing capital acquired through education. Their education propelled them into prestigious political positions & high social status. Their knowledge of letters was critical because the most important constitutional battles of the time between liberals & conservatives were fought over the "words" used to forge a modern civilization, as in the debate over whether education should be instructional or religious-based. M. Pflum