Date of Award
2015
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelors
Department
Social Sciences
First Advisor
Hernandez, Sarah
Keywords
Buenos Aires, Argentina, ESMA, Human Rights, Ethics, Interviews
Area of Concentration
Sociology
Abstract
In my research I identify competing currents in the discourse surrounding human rights and memory in Argentina, and examine how these tensions are manifested in the symbolic and utilitarian qualities of the ex-ESMA as a site designated for the exercise of memory. The ESMA operated as a clandestine detainment center during the period of the Argentine dictatorship from 1976-1983, and was transformed in 2004 into a “Space for Memory and Human Rights.” The thesis consists of an analysis of seven in-depth, semistructured interviews with residents of Buenos Aires, Argentina. From these interviews I tap into individuals’ narratives on the significance of the ex-ESMA. I show that collective memory is not a singular outlook, but rather a process of contestation of meanings. I illustrate the various meanings attributed to the ex-ESMA, and the actors that shape these meanings.
Recommended Citation
Laster, Tomas Federico, "THE INTERSECTION OF COLLECTIVE MEMORY AND PLACE IN A FORMER CLANDESTINE DETAINMENT CENTER IN BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA" (2015). Theses & ETDs. 5050.
https://digitalcommons.ncf.edu/theses_etds/5050