Places of Memory of Latin American Civil-Military Dictatorships and the Disputes over Heritage.

Abstract

The article is a study on the disputes fought in the processes of creation and institutionalization of public policies for the preservation of political memory in four countries of the Southern Cone subjected to regimes of exception (Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay). It initially describes, in order to support the study, the theoretical reference on the concept of places of memory, the institutionalization of these devices and their relationship with cultural heritage. The technique of case study was used as a methodological support. The four countries were selected because they are, to date, the ones that have advanced the most in the application of Transitional Justice, with emphasis on the accountability of State officials and the creation of the socalled Places of Political Memory. From each country, examples of places of memory were selected in order to illustrate the clashes that took place. It appears that the institutionalization of places of memory results from the pressures of organized social movements on the State. It is also found that the disputes are permanent because they reflect the different political, economic and social interests present in society.