A history made by manu militari?

The Inter-American Press Society, the Psychological War, the Ciespal and the Academic Field in Latin America

Abstract

This article starts from the observation of the lack of reflection on the history of the Communications academic area to discuss the context in which this field is developed in Latin America. It records the political instrumentalization of the media during the Cold War from the Inter-American Press Society, at the same time as Mass Communications Research is forged in the United States as an instrument of psychological warfare. It points out inconsistencies in the dominant story regarding the forefathers of the discipline. It observes Ciespal's articulation with the military coups of the 1960s on the continent. Based on these findings, it proposes that only a social history of knowledge can offer a conceptual structure and a historical foundation for those who want to understand the path of institutionalization of the field.