Spanish flu and labor dynamics in Argentina at the beginning of the 20th century

Abstract

Moved by the current epidemiological event, the covid-19, and the economic breakdowns we are witnessing, in this study we ask ourselves about the impact of the bloodiest pandemic of the 20th century on the economy and working conditions in Argentina: the Spanish flu. This approach, carried out using a qualitative methodology anchored in hermeneutics, is based on the study of journalistic sources and medical testimonies of the time. From them we intend to show how the advent of the disease – crystallized in two great waves – shook the economic and productive structures of different regions of the country, generating particular labor logics.

Keywords

• spanish flu
• work market
• argentina