The Power of Absence
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The Power of Absence An Ethnography of Justice, Memories of Genocide, and Political Activism of a New Generation in Post-Transitional Argentina Mag.a Katja E. Seidel PhD Thesis NUI Maynooth Faculty of Social Sciences Department of Anthropology July 2014 Head of Department: Dr. Mark Maguire Supervisor: Dr. A. Jamie Saris Table of Contents Abstract 3 Declaration 4 Acknowledgements 5 Glossary 8 Introduction 11 Introduction 11 Engaging with Questions and the Argentine Context 21 Personal Frame of Reference 36 Methodological Premises 41 Central Aim and Chapter Outline 49 Chapter 1: Voices of Justice and Memory in Post-Transitional Argentina 55 Introduction 55 Transitional Justice: A Concept and its Process 56 Justice and the ‘Presence of Absence’ 77 The Power of Memory and Identities 93 From Presence to Representation 102 The ‘Ownership of Justice’: Summary and Outlook 107 Chapter 2: Argentina. A Brief History of Violence and Justice 109 Introduction 109 Before 1975: The Beginnings of Violence 111 Coup d’État and the Culture of Terror 115 The Return to Democracy: Efforts for Truth and Justice 121 Times of Impunity: The Failure of Institutionalized Jurisdiction 124 The Onset of Post-Transitional Justice: H.I.J.O.S. and the Scilingo Effect 126 Post-transitional Justice: Trials for Crimes against Humanity 130 Chapter 3: ‘We are Born in their Struggle and they Live in Ours’ 134 Introduction 134 Hijos and H.I.J.O.S.: A Generation, an Association and its Members 136 The History(s) of H.I.J.O.S. 144 The Organization 156 The Population: A Question of Belonging 167 A new Government, a new Home 175 From the Margins to the Centre 179 Conclusion 183 1 Chapter 4: ‘Si no hay Justicia, hay Escrache!’ 186 Introduction 186 The Escrache: A Street Theatre of Justice 188 Roots and Variations 201 Contesting the Escrache 214 Just Practice or Nazi-Defamation? 219 Escrache and Global Judicioscapes 225 New Roads and Continuity 227 Conclusion: Discursive Meaning Making and Visibilities of Absence 231 Chapter 5: The Politics of Genocide: Representing the Past, Creating a Future 234 Introduction 234 Part 1: Thinking through/with Genocide 237 The Past as Genocide: H.I.J.O.S. and the Meaning of a New Frame 237 From Memory Narratives to the Ownership of Justice 247 The Making of Memory Communities in Argentina’s Struggle for Justice 257 Part 2: Political Practice 261 Genocide in Argentina’s Courts 261 Challenging International Definitions 283 Conclusion 288 Chapter 6: Taking Justice to Court. Performance and Contestation in Determining Guilt 291 Introduction 291 The Romero-Niklison Case 297 H.I.J.O.S., Trials and Justice 304 The Courtroom: Healing Effect or Revenge? 315 Changing Ambiguities: Isabel and the ‘Culture of Justice’ 324 Conclusion: The Transformed Character of Legal Practices in Argentina 330 Conclusion: ‘They can Carry away the Most Beautiful Flowers, but they will not End Spring’ 334 Bibliography 343 2 Abstract For 30 years human rights groups have struggled for justice in Argentina. ‘We are born in their struggle and they live in ours’, thus goes the mantra of the second generation activists. In 1995, hijos, the children of the disappeared, murdered, unlawfully imprisoned and exiled victims of the 1976-83 civil-military dictatorship, decided to participate and created the association H.I.J.O.S. (Children for Identity and Justice, against Oblivion and Silence). Coming to the field in 2010, I arrived into a context radicalized through activism, campaigning, and a heightened level of legal activity in a temporality of post-transitional, pro-human rights. In this symbolic, discursive, and legal space of justice members of H.I.J.O.S. demonstrate why the violent past counts as genocide and promise not to forgive, not to forget, nor to reconcile. With their activism during the Escrache – H.I.J.O.S.’ practice of social condemnation and street justice – and in the current trials for crimes against humanity, the second generation strives to recover their disappeared parents’ political identity and create their own belonging from absence. This thesis presents a detailed ethnographic reading of the dynamics of justice in post- transitional Argentina. Pursuant to complex and sometimes conflicting research on the nature of these concepts, this thesis focuses thus on the meaning and impact of H.I.J.O.S.’ struggle over the past 18 years. The theoretical cornerstone of the work is an interrogation of the way in which post-memories are constructed, lived, and negotiated by members of the second generation thereby a demonstration of the productive quality of genocide and absence that bears new ontologies and political subjectivities. In holding an ethnographic mirror up to these experiences and hijos’ political agency, this thesis goes beyond prevailing studies of transitional justice and genocide and explores the productivity and creative power of violence unleashed by activated post memories. With the concept of ‘absence’ as a motor for justice this thesis shows how hijos use their post memories to subvert a traumatic heritage and regain ownership of justice. 3 Declaration I hereby declare that the dissertation submitted by me in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and entitled ‘Between Absence and Presence. An Ethnography of H.I.J.O.S., Genocide, and the Dynamics of Justice in post-transitional Argentina’ represents my own work and has not been previously submitted to this or any other institution for any degree, diploma or other qualification. Signed: 4 Acknowledgements A dear friend of mine once told me about the PhD process: the only way out is through. I am now through and finally feel the truth of her words. But for me to have gotten through this process makes me deeply appreciative to many people, who supported this thesis with their knowledge, ideas, interest, and empathy. First and foremost I wish to thank my research partners and informants in Buenos Aires, Madrid, and Tucumán. Especially everyone from H.I.J.O.S., who openly welcomed me to their activities and meetings, shared their material and knowledge with me and never got tired answering my never-ending questions. Thank you very much for sharing your world with me. I want to thank my Supervisor Jamie Saris, who embarked with me on this journey some years ago in Vienna. Your tremendous support and inspiration throughout the process and your steady belief in my work gave me the strength to become a real anthropologist. As my ‘living lexicon’ and friend I will always be grateful for the experience of learning from you. I wish to thank Fiona Murphy for the generous support and encouragement during the writing process. Thank you for your friendship and the many hours of laughter that we shared throughout these years. I want to thank Mark Maguire for your advice and knowledge, as well as your friendship and unfailing inspiration in all these years. I wish to express my sincere gratitude to Antonius Robben who improved my research with his insight and advice. I additionally want to thank Agnieszka Pasieka, Ram Natarajan, Ulrike Davis-Sulikowski, Patrick Slevin, Abdullahi El-Tom, and all other colleagues, who assisted and advised at various stages of my research. Also, I wish to express my appreciation to the National University of Ireland that supported this research with the four years John and Pat HUME scholarship. This acknowledgement would not be complete without expressing my deeply felt gratitude to my friends and family. While I cannot mention everyone, I want to thank Marija, my profoundly cherished friend. You always inspire me. Thank you Andreas, 5 Toska, and Leon, the best neighbours ever. Thank you Christof for your friendship and support. Thank you Emma for a warm home in Ireland filled with music and laughter. Thank you Daniel for your compassion and joy. Thank you Tom for your warmth, your spirit, and unfailing believe in the impossible. Thank you Rolo for your devotion and your faithfulness in a better world. And thank you Lisa Seiden, my home and family in Argentina. Your wisdom and patience always remind me that tenderness and empathy are amongst the highest values in life. This thesis is dedicated to you. Most of all I want to thank my parents Waltraud and Wolf. Your warm-heartedness and inspiration allowed me to become the person I want to be. Thank you for your life long support and love. 6 La Memoria Memory Todo está guardado en la Everything is preserved in memoria, memory, sueño de la vida y de la historia. Dream of life and history. La memoria despierta para herir Memory awakes to hurt a los pueblos dormidos The people who sleep que no la dejan vivir Who don’t let it live libre como el viento. Free like the wind Leon Gieco 7 Glossary Abuelas: Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo (Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo): Abuelas are a group of grandmothers searching for their missing grandchildren who were stolen from disappeared mothers and given away to regime friendly families. Abuelas estimate that the military stole approximately 500 babies. By 2014 Abuelas have successfully identified 110 stolen children. CONADEP: Comisión Nacional sobre la Desaparición de Personas (the Argentine National Commission on the Disappeared). CONADEP was Argentina’s truth commission that formed in 1983. Its report ‘Nunca Más’ was published in 1984. ERP: Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo (People’s Revolutionary Army) was one of the main guerilla groups of armed revolutionaries. ERP was the Moaist-inflected, armed guerrilla group of the radical arm of the Revolutionary Worker’s Party (PRT). Escrache: It is a popular, non-juridical form of social condemnation and street justice introduced by H.I.J.O.S.