Fuentes, relatos y construcción de la historia patria

since history deals with texts, discourse analysis is heuristic at two levels: it functions as an instrument for the interpretation of sources, and also for the interpretation of the historian？s own discourse. this article examines two sources: an eighteenth-century "arbitrio" and the discourse on its author by a contemporary source. the latter, inspired by the official ？patriotic history？ discourse, is developed within a general framework which emphasizes the struggle against colonial rule and, above all, the independence war, as a legitimizing of the present. the article intends to throw light on the relevance of discourse analysis in the investigation of the practices by way of which myths and symbols integrate a social plurality into a power unit, using both rational and irrational means.