“Teaching Them That Pain Exists”: Dilemmas Regarding Memory Transmission and Entrepreneurship in Adult Children of Former Political Prisoners 40 Years After the Coup D’Etat in Chile

Abstract

The present study sought to identify and understand the memory transmission and entrepreneurship processes conducted by children of victims of politically motivated imprisonment and torture during Chile’s civilian-military dictatorship. A qualitative methodology was adopted, with an exploratory and analytic-relational design being used. Twelve children of former political prisoners, seven men and five women, participated in the study. Focus groups were selected as a data production technique. A content analysis was conducted following Grounded Theory guidelines. Results suggest that the adult sons and daughters of survivors have taken up memory transmission and entrepreneurship based on their parents’ memories of political imprisonment and torture. They engage in memory transmission and entrepreneurship by constructing exemplary memories about their parents’ experiences. They transmit these memories to peers and to their own children once they reach adulthood, given the increased openness of Chilean society regarding these discussions.

“I think memory sites are the same as the scars in your body”: The tensions of memorial production and the use of space in memory sites in Chile.

“…A qualitative methodology was used, which fosters the use of contextual and historical elements to analyze and gain a thorough understanding of the phenomenon studied (Palma et al, 2021). This methodology visualizes the place as the element that originates social and psychological relationships, with a particular focus on understanding how culture constructs the place and how the place constructs culture (Andrews, 2008).…”

El trauma psicosocial en las narrativas intergeneracionales

“…Un rasgo reconocido por los hijos/as de los EXPP en sus relatos, es la presencia del miedo en sus vidas, la que ha sido transmitida por los propios padres. Este miedo proviene del imaginario que han heredado de esos padres traumatizados (Palma et al, 2018).…”

“…Esta segunda generación no necesariamente emprende memorias del dolor. Sólo un par de varones ejerce esta memoria literal y desea que sea contada a otros para la posteridad (Palma et al, 2018).…”