Education and Social Reproduction in Havana's Elites (1776-1804)

This article aims at analyzing the reproduction of the ruling elites of the Hispanic Monarchy at the end of the 18th century. The study of Havana's elites leads to a broader framework. In the conviction that the specific takes us to the general, this example contributes to the shaping of a transatlantic history of the Hispanic Monarchy, without fissures. The essay posits that the social practices that presided family strategies were the same ones in the metropolis and in America. Vergara's Royal Seminar allows us to analyze the social attitudes of the families belonging to Havana's elite, that sought to perpetuate themselves in the political structures. When seen from an Atlantic perspective, the educational strategies preferred by these families confirm the relevance of the individual path and justify their investment. Havana's elites are a paradigmatic example, not only within the "American" circle of pupils coming to Vergara's Royal Seminar, but also in relation to the entire group of seminarians who were educated in this institution.