Social Movements as Triggers of Transgenerational Transmission of Trauma and Memory in Chile

This article explores the role of social movements in transmitting collective memory and trauma produced by the dictatorship across generations in Chile. It argues that, beyond civil society organisations focused on human rights, broader social movements, such as student, feminist, and anti-neoliber...

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Main Authors: Karla Henríquez, Nicolás Alberto Pinochet Mendoza, Geoffrey Pleyers, Fedra Sonia Cuestas
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Queensland University of Technology 2025-06-01
Series:International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.crimejusticejournal.com/article/view/3904
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author Karla Henríquez
Nicolás Alberto Pinochet Mendoza
Geoffrey Pleyers
Fedra Sonia Cuestas
author_facet Karla Henríquez
Nicolás Alberto Pinochet Mendoza
Geoffrey Pleyers
Fedra Sonia Cuestas
author_sort Karla Henríquez
collection DOAJ
description This article explores the role of social movements in transmitting collective memory and trauma produced by the dictatorship across generations in Chile. It argues that, beyond civil society organisations focused on human rights, broader social movements, such as student, feminist, and anti-neoliberal protests, play a crucial role in uncovering and processing the trauma of past state violence. Using qualitative research and combining insights from social movement studies, social psychology, and psychoanalysis, we show how these movements produce spaces and situations where conscious and unconscious trauma originating in state political violence is unveiled, transmitted to the next generation, and in some cases, re-elaborated. The article also highlights the gendered dimension of memory, mainly through the experiences of women survivors of sexual political violence, who fought for official recognition of these crimes as distinct from torture. Social movements facilitate the articulation of these silenced histories, fostering intergenerational dialogue. Ultimately, the study underscores how Chilean society remains shaped by dictatorship-era violence, with social movements playing a vital role in confronting historical silences and shaping collective memory.
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publishDate 2025-06-01
publisher Queensland University of Technology
record_format Article
series International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy
spelling doaj-art-99b44ff3fe8a4c098cf47825b49c316f2025-08-20T02:21:38ZengQueensland University of TechnologyInternational Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy2202-79982202-80052025-06-01142566710.5204/ijcjsd.39044227Social Movements as Triggers of Transgenerational Transmission of Trauma and Memory in ChileKarla Henríquez0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9379-596XNicolás Alberto Pinochet Mendoza1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6979-1187Geoffrey Pleyers2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9949-5047Fedra Sonia Cuestas3https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5058-6546Université catholique de Louvain Université Paris 8, Vincennes - Saint-DenisFonds National de la Recherche Scientifique/Université catholique de LouvainUniversidad de Los Lagos This article explores the role of social movements in transmitting collective memory and trauma produced by the dictatorship across generations in Chile. It argues that, beyond civil society organisations focused on human rights, broader social movements, such as student, feminist, and anti-neoliberal protests, play a crucial role in uncovering and processing the trauma of past state violence. Using qualitative research and combining insights from social movement studies, social psychology, and psychoanalysis, we show how these movements produce spaces and situations where conscious and unconscious trauma originating in state political violence is unveiled, transmitted to the next generation, and in some cases, re-elaborated. The article also highlights the gendered dimension of memory, mainly through the experiences of women survivors of sexual political violence, who fought for official recognition of these crimes as distinct from torture. Social movements facilitate the articulation of these silenced histories, fostering intergenerational dialogue. Ultimately, the study underscores how Chilean society remains shaped by dictatorship-era violence, with social movements playing a vital role in confronting historical silences and shaping collective memory.https://www.crimejusticejournal.com/article/view/3904activismgendermemorysocial movementstrauma
spellingShingle Karla Henríquez
Nicolás Alberto Pinochet Mendoza
Geoffrey Pleyers
Fedra Sonia Cuestas
Social Movements as Triggers of Transgenerational Transmission of Trauma and Memory in Chile
International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy
activism
gender
memory
social movements
trauma
title Social Movements as Triggers of Transgenerational Transmission of Trauma and Memory in Chile
title_full Social Movements as Triggers of Transgenerational Transmission of Trauma and Memory in Chile
title_fullStr Social Movements as Triggers of Transgenerational Transmission of Trauma and Memory in Chile
title_full_unstemmed Social Movements as Triggers of Transgenerational Transmission of Trauma and Memory in Chile
title_short Social Movements as Triggers of Transgenerational Transmission of Trauma and Memory in Chile
title_sort social movements as triggers of transgenerational transmission of trauma and memory in chile
topic activism
gender
memory
social movements
trauma
url https://www.crimejusticejournal.com/article/view/3904
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AT geoffreypleyers socialmovementsastriggersoftransgenerationaltransmissionoftraumaandmemoryinchile
AT fedrasoniacuestas socialmovementsastriggersoftransgenerationaltransmissionoftraumaandmemoryinchile