Memory as a political action: Reflections from postdictatorial Chile.

Abstract

Today, there is no doubt that the dictatorships endured in several South American countries during the 1970s marked the political, social, and cultural life of those countries and fractured everyday life, close bonds, and subjectivities. Disciplines such as sociology, political science, and cultural studies have raised these issues in addressing the recent past, particularly in the field of social studies of memory. Political psychology researchers have addressed these dimensions, contributing to the study of postconflict societies.In Chile, during the civil-military dictatorship in place from 1973 to 1990, psychology professionals in areas sheltered by nongovernmental organizations led the task of working with Chileans affected by political repression. Despite the preponderance in the field of a comprehensive approach and self-centered psychology, those professionals also visualized the need to integrate a psychosocial and psychopolitical view into their work. The context of state terrorism meant that psychology as a discipline was necessarily