A new agenda for a consolidated field of studies: New and old themes of memory studies in Latin America¹

Abstract

Latin America is a very fertile region for memory studies, as evidenced by the publications that range from the founding works of Elizabeth Jelin to the most recent compilation works. It is important to recognize that this consolidated field of studies has traditionally revolved around victimization processes and, more recently, transitional justice. However, it is also a scenario for the renewal of memory studies, in tune with contemporary global debates such as (1) the new generations and post-memory; (2) the redefinition of the role of the state as guarantor of official and public memories and, added to this; (3) the new place (geographical, institutional) occupied by the citizenry. Based on an assessment that recovers both the founding studies in Latin America, as well as the main contributions of research on memory and violence (with emphasis on work on transitional justice, exile and new generations), here we identify the new lines of research that are being privileged by memory studies in the region, this in order to draw a new research agenda for the field, which registers both the renewal of traditional themes (e.g. systematic investigations on the engagements of the researchers regarding issues such as transitional processes, and violence against marginalized or repressed groups; or the need to reintroduce the field of corporeity to think about issues such as gender, violence, exile) and the emergence of new problems of urgent research (the field of crises and uncertainty).