Os novos conteúdos da regionalização: lugares modernizados e lugares letárgicos no planalto nordpatagónico argentino

Abstract

MODERN AND LETHARGIC PLACES IN THE NORTHPATAGONIC PLATEAU - The southern region, an area of the northpatagonic plateau (Rio Negro, Argentina) is a vast sheep breeding region. Sheep breeding and agriculture were introduced at the end of the last century in an attempt to enlarge the production of argentinean beef, cereals and wool.Since the 1940s the industrialization process has been changing many areas of the country, but the northpatagonic region continued to export basic wool (without any kind of industrial transformation).However, since the 1980s selective modernization has begun to reach the large isolated farms, helping to improve ties with distant places. This modernization has resulted in new modern breeding techniques and in the use of skilled labour. This modernization programme of change has come from both international and national centers of decision and research, and also from a few technically specialised provincial centres.The modernization process has been confined to the larger farms and has improved "vertival" relations, which have lead to skilled labour moving into the region.On the other hand, the lathargic places are not reached by the technical and scientific modernization, although information about the new consumer's patterns is received; as a result there is an increase of the population exodus to the larger modern urban centres of the province. Nowadays, the region comprises a network of modern progressive centres, as well as a mosaic of lethargic towns and rural areas.