“We fight for the memory of our children”: Political memory, favela heritage, and mothers of victims of state violence
There have been extensive studies of the struggles against Latin American military dictatorships of the 1960s and 1980s, especially regarding the activism of mothers of political activists who were disappeared. However there has been far less research about women’s continued struggle for memory, tru...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
CEDLA
2022-06-01
|
| Series: | European Review of Latin American and Caribbean Studies |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.erlacs.org/articles/10898 |
| _version_ | 1818535907901308928 |
|---|---|
| author | Maria Eduarda Ota Robert Mason |
| author_facet | Maria Eduarda Ota Robert Mason |
| author_sort | Maria Eduarda Ota |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | There have been extensive studies of the struggles against Latin American military dictatorships of the 1960s and 1980s, especially regarding the activism of mothers of political activists who were disappeared. However there has been far less research about women’s continued struggle for memory, truth, and justice in contemporary Latin America. There has been even less consideration of how small-scale urban protesters use memory within urban cultural geographies of activism. This article explores the production of political memory by mothers of victims of state violence in Rio de Janeiro. The mother’s struggle encompasses heritage practices in 'favelas', as well as in the central business district, but deliberately recall and amplify the claims for justice from the 1960s and 1980s. This recalls not only the heritage connected with the dictatorship, but situates their practices within activists’ lived experiences of the colonial state and its attempts to render their murdered children criminals. Resumen: “Luchamos por la memoria de nuestros hijos”: Memoria política, patrimonio de favela y madres de víctimas de violencia estatal Existen amplios estudios sobre las luchas contra las dictaduras militares latinoamericanas de los años sesenta y ochenta, sobretodo sobre el activismo de las madres de los activistas políticos desaparecidos. Sin embargo, apenas se ha investigado la continua lucha de las mujeres por la memoria, la verdad y la justicia en la América Latina contemporánea; y aún menos cómo los manifestantes urbanos a pequeña escala utilizan la memoria dentro de las geografías culturales urbanas del activismo. Este artículo explora la producción de memoria política por parte de las madres de las víctimas de la violencia estatal en Río de Janeiro. Su lucha abarca prácticas patrimoniales en las favelas y en el distrito comercial central, pero recuerda y amplifica deliberadamente las reivindicaciones de justicia de los años sesenta y ochenta. No solo recuerda la herencia relacionada con la dictadura, sino que sitúa sus prácticas dentro de las experiencias vividas por los activistas del estado colonial y sus intentos de convertir a sus hijos asesinados en criminales. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T18:31:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fc4f4405b7544196a02e316fd0e642d8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1879-4750 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T18:31:11Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | CEDLA |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Review of Latin American and Caribbean Studies |
| spelling | doaj.art-fc4f4405b7544196a02e316fd0e642d82022-12-22T00:54:55ZengCEDLAEuropean Review of Latin American and Caribbean Studies1879-47502022-06-0111310312210.32992/erlacs.1089810027“We fight for the memory of our children”: Political memory, favela heritage, and mothers of victims of state violenceMaria Eduarda Ota0Robert Mason1Griffith UniversityGriffith UniversityThere have been extensive studies of the struggles against Latin American military dictatorships of the 1960s and 1980s, especially regarding the activism of mothers of political activists who were disappeared. However there has been far less research about women’s continued struggle for memory, truth, and justice in contemporary Latin America. There has been even less consideration of how small-scale urban protesters use memory within urban cultural geographies of activism. This article explores the production of political memory by mothers of victims of state violence in Rio de Janeiro. The mother’s struggle encompasses heritage practices in 'favelas', as well as in the central business district, but deliberately recall and amplify the claims for justice from the 1960s and 1980s. This recalls not only the heritage connected with the dictatorship, but situates their practices within activists’ lived experiences of the colonial state and its attempts to render their murdered children criminals. Resumen: “Luchamos por la memoria de nuestros hijos”: Memoria política, patrimonio de favela y madres de víctimas de violencia estatal Existen amplios estudios sobre las luchas contra las dictaduras militares latinoamericanas de los años sesenta y ochenta, sobretodo sobre el activismo de las madres de los activistas políticos desaparecidos. Sin embargo, apenas se ha investigado la continua lucha de las mujeres por la memoria, la verdad y la justicia en la América Latina contemporánea; y aún menos cómo los manifestantes urbanos a pequeña escala utilizan la memoria dentro de las geografías culturales urbanas del activismo. Este artículo explora la producción de memoria política por parte de las madres de las víctimas de la violencia estatal en Río de Janeiro. Su lucha abarca prácticas patrimoniales en las favelas y en el distrito comercial central, pero recuerda y amplifica deliberadamente las reivindicaciones de justicia de los años sesenta y ochenta. No solo recuerda la herencia relacionada con la dictadura, sino que sitúa sus prácticas dentro de las experiencias vividas por los activistas del estado colonial y sus intentos de convertir a sus hijos asesinados en criminales.https://www.erlacs.org/articles/10898memory, mother’s movements, state violence, rio de janeiro, brazil, memoria, movimientos de madres, violencia estatal, rio de janeiro, brasil |
| spellingShingle | Maria Eduarda Ota Robert Mason “We fight for the memory of our children”: Political memory, favela heritage, and mothers of victims of state violence European Review of Latin American and Caribbean Studies memory, mother’s movements, state violence, rio de janeiro, brazil, memoria, movimientos de madres, violencia estatal, rio de janeiro, brasil |
| title | “We fight for the memory of our children”: Political memory, favela heritage, and mothers of victims of state violence |
| title_full | “We fight for the memory of our children”: Political memory, favela heritage, and mothers of victims of state violence |
| title_fullStr | “We fight for the memory of our children”: Political memory, favela heritage, and mothers of victims of state violence |
| title_full_unstemmed | “We fight for the memory of our children”: Political memory, favela heritage, and mothers of victims of state violence |
| title_short | “We fight for the memory of our children”: Political memory, favela heritage, and mothers of victims of state violence |
| title_sort | we fight for the memory of our children political memory favela heritage and mothers of victims of state violence |
| topic | memory, mother’s movements, state violence, rio de janeiro, brazil, memoria, movimientos de madres, violencia estatal, rio de janeiro, brasil |
| url | https://www.erlacs.org/articles/10898 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mariaeduardaota wefightforthememoryofourchildrenpoliticalmemoryfavelaheritageandmothersofvictimsofstateviolence AT robertmason wefightforthememoryofourchildrenpoliticalmemoryfavelaheritageandmothersofvictimsofstateviolence |