Reconstructing History Amid the Absence of Archives: A Reflection on Chile’s Dictatorship
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5944/rdh.55.2025.44100Keywords:
Historical memory, Archive, Chilean dictatorship (1973–1990), Testimony, ReconstructionAbstract
This reflective article explores how the absence of archives has become a central challenge in the reconstruction of historical memory. Focusing on the case of Chile, it examines how the history of the military dictatorship has been reimagined through two key works: Nostalgia for the Light by Patricio Guzmán and Los Zarpazos del Puma by Patricia Verdugo. The study reveals that metaphor, testimony, and the recovery of fragments intertwine to create emotionally charged forms of evidence that compensate for the lack of official documentation and serve as crucial components in the reconstruction of collective memory.
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