A White Russian in the Green Hell: Military Science, Ethnography, and Nation Building
- ASU Author/Contributor (non-ASU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Dr.. Anatoly Isaenko, Professor (Creator)
- Institution
- Appalachian State University (ASU )
- Web Site: https://library.appstate.edu/
Abstract: This article considers how Juan Belaieff’s experiences in the Caucasus of Russia during the early twentieth century shaped his later work with the Paraguayan military in the Chaco region. His Russian training in both military science and ethnography prepared him for his scouting work in the Chaco, a territory con-tested by both Bolivia and Paraguay. This work, done with the native population of the Chaco, helped secure victory over the Bolivians during the Chaco War (1932–1935). It also played a key role in his broader project of incorporating the native peoples of the Chaco into the Paraguayan nation-state, a project that drew upon his work on behalf of Russia with the populations of the Caucasus. Signi?cantly, his postwar efforts and ethnographic studies directly led to rights and considerations for Paraguay’s indigenous population. Belaieff’s work demonstrates how both the Paraguayan military and society (long considered by historians as isolated) were in?uenced by outside ideas and people.
Additional Information
- Publication
- Bridget Maria Chesterton and Anatoly V. Isaenko (2014) " White Russian in the Green Hell: Military Science, Ethnography, and Nation Building" Hispanic American Historical Review 94:4 Version of Record Available @ (doi 10.1215/00182168-2802654)
- Language: English
- Date: 2014
- Keywords
- Chaco region, Russian, oppression, paraguayan military, influence