‘¡Y al final un día volvimos!’. Collective Memory and the Recent Past in Argentina (2003- 2007)

ANA SOLEDAD MONTERO

Bristol, United Kingdom

Conferencia; 46th Annual Conference Society of Latin American Studies (SLAS); 2010

Society of Latin American Studies (SLAS)

Since the onset of former Argentine President N. Kirchner’s administration in May 2003, the memory of the last military dictatorship (1976-1983) has acquired great importance in the public arena. As a matter of fact, the repeal of pardon laws, the reactivation of trials to the military and other agents involved in the violation of human rights, the transformation of clandestine detention centers into sites for memory/spaces for memory and the direct official confrontation with the sectors linked to repression are some of the main signs of Kirchner´s administration. In addition, the former President has often claimed to be the heir of the political struggles and ideals of the young revolutionary activists of the 1970s, the main target of the military repression. In this paper we will examine a corpus of presidential speeches delivered by former President Kirchner in which he provides a discursive reconstruction and interpretation of the recent past. Also, we will draw attention to the major tensions, achievements and challenges that Kirchner’s reading of the past brings about in terms of the construction of a collective memory in Argentina. This study will be approached from two different but complementary analytical perspectives: the "memory policies" (Jelin, 2003) established during the Kirchner administration, and the political and ideological stance assumed by Kirchner in his presidential speeches. Thus, we expect to consider the process of consolidation and stabilization of the democratic regime in Argentina concerning the resolution of the dictatorial past and the human rights issue.