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This article deals with the myths of national identity and destiny in Argentina. The analysis of a large sample of official addresses delivered by former presidents Raúl Alfonsín (1983-1989) and Carlos Menem (1989-1999) shows that they delivered totally different concepts of what is understood as “argentinidad”. While Alfonsín stressed the idea that a better future is to be built through a common project and collective effort, Menem insisted on the belief that their country is predestined to become a ‘great nation “. Alfonsín produced a shift in Argentine political discourse by consistently asserting that all citizens are bound by shared responsibility and a desire to maintain their collective autonomy and identity. Menem , however, reactivated the myth of national greatness, a notion that has pervaded political discourse for the most part of Argentina’s existence as an independent state.
