Interview with Kaufman fellow Uziel Gonzalez Aliaga;
Who is Uziel Gonzalez Aliaga?
I am a third-year DPhil (PhD) candidate in Economic and Social History at the University of Oxford and a Clarendon Scholar. Before coming to the UK, I did my undergraduate (BA in History) and master’s (MSc in Economic History) degrees in Santiago, Chile. During those years, I became interested in 20th-century Chilean financial history, particularly in the formation and early years of the country’s Central Bank. Benefiting from a 3-month research stay at the University of Barcelona, this project resulted in the publication of my first academic article in Investigaciones de Historia Económica - Economic History Research, a journal edited by the Spanish Economic History Association. I also have experience in teaching both undergraduate and graduate students in Chile and in the UK. Besides my academic formation, I served as an advisor to the Central Bank of Chile on historical matters for three years.
What is the title of your project, and what is the main argument/research question?
My dissertation is entitled “Navigating Calm Waters? Latin America’s Southern Cone During the Bretton Woods Era (Chile and Argentina, 1945-1971)”. It analyses the involvement of these South American nations in the international monetary system of Bretton Woods (BW) (1945-1971). This effort aims to fill a gap in the literature by bringing together two largely divorced areas of academic enquiry, namely research on BW and Latin American economic history. On the one hand, financial history scholarship dealing with the evolution of BW has mostly concentrated on its "North Atlantic" dimension (Cfr. Gold Standard Era). Meanwhile, historians and economists focusing on Latin America’s state-led industrialisation, deployed concurrently with BW, have naturally devoted themselves to studying domestic developments.
Undeniable, these approaches have greatly contributed to understanding crucial aspects of BW and import-substitution industrialisation (e.g., Western Europe’s convertibility or the dilemmas of inward-looking development). However, there has been no systematic dialogue between them: how did Chile and Argentina, both members of the system, deal with the different phases of BW? How did the Argentine and Chilean payments system work out during the years of relative domestic retrenchment (the 1950s) and later openness (the 1960s)? To what extent did delaying international payment reforms, such as those on the exchange rate regime or convertibility, influence aversion to international trade (i.e., export discrimination policies)? These are all critical questions for understanding the overall evolution of the BWS and the degree of agency of its developing members vis-à-vis the system constraints.
Through three chronological parts, I intend to challenge the common idea that BW was a stable monetary system. Following insights from recent scholarship, my preliminary results show a more complex scenario. Both Chile’s difficult transition to global peacetime (chapter 1) and Perón’s bilateral strategy failure (chapter 2) are evidence of the complex 'navigation' of the Southern Cone in post-war times. The misguided decisions of each country's policymakers, like the stubborn maintenance of multiple exchange rates, are part of this poor management of the external sector. However, the early evolution of the global monetary system also played an important role in such an outcome. Indeed, the sterling crisis of 1949, the abandonment of global multilateralism and the adjustment of European currencies in 1949 must be considered for a more comprehensive view.
Have you already presented this research, and what do you want to accomplish as a Kaufman fellow?
I have presented this research in various circles, including Oxford's Economic History Graduate Seminar and the Latin American Centre's History Graduate Seminar. Outside Oxford, I have discussed preliminary advances at the University of Buenos Aires (Argentina), the University of Warwick (Economic and Social History Society Graduate Course) and the Portuguese Economic History Association Summer School. At the end of 2024, I will present additional results at the Latin American Congress of Economic History in Montevideo (Uruguay). Finally, I am currently awaiting two applications for summer schools in Groningen (Financial, Economic and Business History) and Glasgow (Business History Beyond Boundaries: Fourth International Summer School).
As a Fellow, I hope to contribute to a better understanding of 20th-century Latin American financial history. As noted above, much of the research on financial issues in the region has yet to be conducted. Yet, in light of repeated and recent events alike, understanding past events proves key. History can shed light on sovereign or private debt cycles, balance of payments complications and external shocks. In my research, I am particularly interested in considering two essential themes: global debates and a wide range of historical sources. How can global developments in financial history inform novel research considering Latin American cases? How did different actors, from governments themselves to trade partners to international banking, influence certain decisions in the past? Given such scope and novelty, the support of the Kaufman fellowship is essential to bring my research to a successful completion.
Since when have you been a member of the BHC, and why do you attend and stay connected to it?
I became a member of the BHC in October 2023. This decision was influenced by my Department, which constantly shared news from BHC, and fellow economic historians, who made me see that my research would be well received there. I keep informed through the website and emails. I hope to be fully involved in BHC activities from this year onwards.