Avatars of the editions of Capital in the Hispanic American world

Abstract

Of the books with which the Social reformers of the Nineteenth Century sought to redeem the Working class, only Capital achieved the character of a consecrated work, even sacralized as the “Bible of the Proletariat”. It is a complex book, often more recognized (and revered) than read. To Read Capital, to translate it, to edit it, committed the most diverse strategies. The history of its editions in Spanish language is a true transatlantic saga, crossed by revolutions, wars, dictatorships and exiles. And, no less important, furrowed by quarrels around terms and concepts that were never merely “technical”, but transposed conflicting conceptions of how to understand the Political struggle and Human emancipation.