Abstract
The epilogue looks back over the five centuries of Argentina’s historical trajectory, identifying the ruptures and continuities that become apparent over time. In particular, it focuses on the persistence of colonial ethno-racial hierarchies and the ongoing impact of racism and violence to this day, on the role of transnational economic constraints and the subordinate place Argentina has occupied in the international division of labor, in the plebeian political participation that has characterized Argentine political life and the development of a national culture, in the causes of political instability—the confrontations and military coups of the twentieth century—and in the long-standing relationship between Peronism and anti-Peronism and the way it has recently played out with the emergence of Kirchnerism.