Resistance to Political Violence in Latin America

This book analyzes state terror documentation as a form of peaceful resistance to oppressive regimes through substantial research in human rights archives that registered violations perpetrated by Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship in Chile. The contributors provide in-depth analysis on state violence documentation, denunciation and resistance and how it affected civilians, activists and victims.  Additionally, the project introduces research in transitional contexts (post-dictatorship, post-apartheid and post-colonialism) showing the role of documentation practices in achieving truth, reparation and justice. This work will be relevant to academics, students and researchers in the fields of political science, political history, Latin American and memory studies.  

• Human rights
• Latin America
• Political Violence
• resistance
• Memory
• Development
• latin american politics

“A unique contribution to discussions of resistance, this volume is a testament to the dedicated work of key community organisations in supporting victims and survivors of State violence under Pinochet. It details the crucial legacy of their careful work of response and documentation, which has provided the very conditions of possibility for prosecutions and for our accurate understanding more generally. A remarkable achievement by an impressive interdisciplinary team of scholars.” (Vikki Bell, Goldsmiths, Professor, University of London, UK)

“The cruelty and human suffering of Chileans during Pinochet’s 17-year dictatorship — and of their resistance to it — are captured as nowhere else by the archives of the Vicariate of Solidarity. This innovative multi-disciplinary volume illuminates the unique scope and granularity of this remarkable record and brings fresh perspectives that should stimulate inquiry and debate among scholars and archivists in Chile and beyond.” (Anne Pérotin-Dumon, Visiting Research Scholar, Institut d'Histoire du Temps Présent (IHTP/CNRS), France)

“A sophisticated analysis of the emblematic Chilean case that illuminates the central role of human rights professionals in documenting state terrorism in Pinochet’s Chile and celebrates that registry as a courageous act of resistance that enabled transitional justice... a required reading for everyone interested in truth, justice and/or memory.” (Peter Winn, Professor, Tufts University, USA)

• Departamento de Sociología, Alberto Hurtado University, Santiago, Chile

  Oriana Bernasconi

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