Freemasonry and Public Space: the “Atheist School” debate in Chile 1872

Abstract

In Chile in the mid-nineteenth century, the issue of education was gaining importance in the public sphere. From then on, the authorities hypothesized on the educational model that would best promote the development and advancement of the Republic. In that context, in Valparaiso there was a clash between different models of modernity, disputing the legitimacy of the nascent public sphere. On one side, Freemasonry, spearheaded a challenging secular educational project by founding the school, "Blas Cuevas". In defense of a more traditional project, the Catholic Church and its supporters were strongly opposed to the initiative, calling it "atheist" and initiating a communication offensive against them. Our work seeks to analyze the debate developed by these two actors, their arguments, strategies, and legitimation on the public sphere.