Cultural diplomacy, travel, and historical knowledge on China in Latin America. The work of Olga Poblete from the 1930s to the Cold War

Abstract

This article examines the construction of knowledge about Asia and China in Chile through written accounts of travel to China. Using as a case study Olga Poblete’s essay on the history of Asia (1933), a travel book about the People’s Republic of China (1953) and a volume of essays on China’s cultural history (1955), the article argues that the travel to China contributed to the elaboration and circulation of historical knowledge about China in Chile. It explores how the circulation of ideas and individuals fostered the production of transnational knowledge and supported the development of Asian studies in Latin America from the 1930s through the Cold War. Furthermore, it proposes that such knowledge on China contributed to the formation of a historiographic field focused on Asia, reflecting on the role of travel in cultural diplomacy and knowledge production.