Political Violence and Trauma in Argentina (The Ethnography of Political Violence)

Challenging the notion that violence simply breeds more violence, Antonius C. G. M. Robben's provocative study argues that in Argentina violence led to trauma, and that trauma led to more violence. Challenging the notion that violence simply breeds more violence, Antonius C. G. M. Robben's provocative study argues that in Argentina violence led to trauma, and that trauma led to more violence.

For decades, Argentina's population was subject to human rights violations ranging from the merely disruptive to the abominable. Violence pervaded Argentine social and cultural life in the repression of protest crowds, a ruthless counterinsurgency campaign, massive numbers of abductions, instances of torture, and innumerable assassinations. Despite continued repression, thousands of parents searched for their disappeared children, staging street protests that eventually marshaled international support. Challenging the notion that violence simply breeds more violence, Antonius C. G. M. Robben's provocative study argues that in Argentina violence led to trauma, and that trauma bred more violence.

In this work of superior scholarship, Robben analyzes the historical dynamic through which Argentina became entangled in a web of violence spun out of repeated traumatization of political adversaries. This violence-trauma-violence cycle culminated in a cultural war that "disappeared" more than ten thousand people and caused millions to live in fear. Political Violence and Trauma in Argentina demonstrates through a groundbreaking multilevel analysis the process by which different historical strands of violence coalesced during the 1970s into an all-out military assault on Argentine society and culture.

Combining history and anthropology, this compelling book rests on thorough archival research; participant observation of mass demonstrations, exhumations, and reburials; gripping interviews with military officers, guerrilla commanders, human rights leaders, and former disappeared captives. Robben's penetrating analysis of the trauma of Argentine society is of great importance for our understanding of other societies undergoing similar crimes against humanity.

For decades, Argentina's population was subject to human rights violations ranging from the merely disruptive to the abominable. Violence pervaded Argentine social and cultural life in the repression of protest crowds, a ruthless counterinsurgency campaign, massive numbers of abductions, instances of torture, and innumerable assassinations. Despite continued repression, thousands of parents searched for their disappeared children, staging street protests that eventually marshaled international support. Challenging the notion that violence simply breeds more violence, Antonius C. G. M. Robben's provocative study argues that in Argentina violence led to trauma, and that trauma bred more violence. In this work of superior scholarship, Robben analyzes the historical dynamic through which Argentina became entangled in a web of violence spun out of repeated traumatization of political adversaries. This violence-trauma-violence cycle culminated in a cultural war that "disappeared" more than ten thousand people and caused millions to live in fear. Political Violence and Trauma in Argentina demonstrates through a groundbreaking multilevel analysis the process by which different historical strands of violence coalesced during the 1970s into an all-out military assault on Argentine society and culture. Combining history and anthropology, this compelling book rests on thorough archival research; participant observation of mass demonstrations, exhumations, and reburials; gripping interviews with military officers, guerrilla commanders, human rights leaders, and former disappeared captives. Robben's penetrating analysis of the trauma of Argentine society is of great importance for our understanding of other societies undergoing similar crimes against humanity. Contents Preface Part I Groundswell: The Rise and Fall of Argentine Crowds Chapter 1. Changing the Course of History: Dignity, Emancipation, and Entrenchment Chapter 2. The Time of the Furnaces: Proscription, Compromise, and Insurrection Chapter 3. A Breeze Turned into Hurricane: The Apogee of Crowd Mobilization Chapter 4. Crowd Clashes: Euphoria, Disenchantment, and Rupture Part II. Utopia Lost: Guerrilla War and Counterinsurgency Chapter 5. Shots in the Night: Revenge, Revolution, and Insurgency Chapter 6. The Long Arm of Popular Justice: Punishment, Rebellion, and Sacrifice Chapter 7. Revolution Postponed: Anger, Frustration, and Entitlement Chapter 8. The Shadows of Death: Improvisation, Counterinsurgency, and Downfall Part III. Breaking Hearts and Minds: Torture, Self, and Resocialization Chapter 9. The War of Cultures: Hierarchy Versus Equality, Christianity Versus Marxism Chapter 10. The Wheelworks of Repression: Assault, Abduction, and Annihilation Chapter 11. The Operating Theater: Torture, Dehumanization, and Traumatization Chapter 12. Political Prisons and Secret Detention Centers: Dismantlement, Desocialization, and Rehabilitation Part IV Argentina's Nightmare: The Forced Disappearance Chapter 13. The Disappearance: Despair, Terror, and Fear Chapter 14. The Search: Hope, Anguish, and Illusion Chapter 15. The Call for Truth: Defiance, Resistance, and Maternal Power Chapter 16. Recovery and Reburial of the Past: Democracy, Accountability, and Impunity Conclusion: The Spirals of Violence and Trauma Appendix 1: Interview List Appendix 2: Acronyms Notes Bibliography Index Acknowledgments "Political Violence and Trauma in Argentina demonstrates through a multilevel analysis the process by which different historical strands of violence coalesced during the 1970s into an all-out military assault on Argentine society and culture." "Combining history and anthropology, this compelling book rests on thorough archival research; participant observation of mass demonstrations, exhumations, and reburials; and interviews with military officers, guerrilla commanders, human rights leaders, and former disappeared captives. Robben's penetrating analysis of the trauma of Argentine society is of great importance to our understanding of other societies suffering similar crimes against humanity."--Jacket "That's the morgue," she said calmly, having removed the padlock from the gate that gave access to a walled off wasteland surrounding a drab building.