L'allégorie de la justice transitionnelle: résistance à l'oubli et construction du récit mémoriel en Uruguay post-dictatorial
In the 1960s, Uruguay endured an economic crisis that quickly turned into a conflict between the National Liberation Movement-Tupamaros (MLN-T) and the state then ruled by Juan María Bordaberry of the Colorado Party. The radicalization of the MLN-T and the rise of State repression granted growing power to the Armed Forces, leading to the coup d'État of June 27, 1973 followed by the establishment of a civic-military dictatorship. The next twelve years were marked by repression, censorship, violence and numerous disappearances. Like other Latin American Cold War dictatorships, Uruguay joined Operation Condor: a South American network led by the United States with the goal of tracking down and annihilating political opponents.   The 1985 elections marked the end of the dictatorship and return of democracy. However, in the aftermath of the victory of Julio María Sanguinetti of the Colorado party, a struggle erupted in the heart of society over who was to blame for the country’s fall into authoritarianism, state repression and violence. On the one hand, the Armed Forces were accused of abuse of power and crimes against humanity. On the other, some defended the military as though they had saved the country from the “subversive” threat.    This study analyzes Uruguay’s transitional process which, unlike its Latin American counterparts, has not included a formal mechanism for the search for truth upon the return of democracy. Uruguay rather chose to amnesty the Tupamaros detained during the dictatorship, all the while promulgating the Law of Caducity which granted impunity to the military. By collecting different perspectives on the recent past through art and cultural productions produced by civil society after le return du democracy, this thesis studies the evolution of memorial speeches as they are expressed in public spaces. Our goal is to better understand how memorial discourses emerge in a country where democratic remedies have confirmed impunity.
Mémoire Uruguay Justice sociale Memory Dictatorship Post-memory Human rights Social justice Recent history