Memories of violence in Argentina

Nicole Iturriaga

- completed -

Nicole’s third paper, “The Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo, Framing, and Mnemonic Memory of State Terror,” which illustrates how human rights activists are negotiating post-authoritarian situations via framing strategies that counter the state’s narrative of the past, puts state terror on full display, and aids activists in achieving their goals. In this article, she analyzes the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo as a successful mnemonic-memory movement that advanced an alternative collective memory of Argentina’s last military regime (1976-1983). She specifically focuses on their use of memory work and the evolution of their framing approach. She demonstrates how their framing and frame-bridging (rights of families, depoliticized science) constituted an emergent process that materialized across time and alongside emerging technologies, culminating in their overarching ‘right to identity’ frame. Moreover, she analyzes how the Grandmothers utilized these frames to navigate transforming political landscapes and obstacles, and to attack social structures maintaining impunity for the regime’s crimes. Nicole ultimately argues that these actions, alongside their extensive memory work, have provided them with a loud and powerful voice over the collective memory of Argentina’s violent past.