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Remembering a Massacre in El Salvador: The Insurrection of 1932, Roque Dalton, and the Politics of Historical Memory
In January 1932, thousands of peasants in western El Salvador rose up in armed rebellion. Armed mostly with machetes and a few guns, they attacked military garrisons, occupied towns, and looted or destroyed businesses, government buildings and private homes. In response, the army and local paramilitary bands killed thousands of citizens in a few days, most of them innocent of any involvement in the rebellion. Recalled as a massacre, the government's actions are regarded as one of the most extreme cases of state-sponsored repression in modern Latin American history. The "Matanza" left generations of Salvadorans and internationals alike attempting to make sense of the events. Remembering a Massacre in El Salvador examines national and international historical memories of the events of 1932 and the factors that determined those memories. It also analyzes Miguel Mármol, by Roque Dalton, a well-known and influential narrative of the 1932 Matanza and one of the most important texts in modern Salvadoran history. The authors employ an array of primary evidence, including the personal archive of Roque Dalton, made available by the Dalton family for the first time. They argue that a systematic look at rivaling memories of the Matanza reveals the close association between historical narratives and political action. The book is complemented by a valuable appendix of primary documents that reveal the evolving memories of these important events in 1932.
- GenresHistory
429 pages, Paperback
First published September 16, 2007
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August 22, 2024
"...attention to complexity blunts raw emotions and nuanced arguments soften the hard edges of confrontations."
This observation is made during the course of this academic text, more as an antidote to the dilemma that it presents. The mass killing that swept El Salvador in 1932 is referred to simply as La Matanza (the massacre). It resulted in the deaths of an estimated 10,000 to 30,000 rural residents by government troops, after a wave of uprisings against military outposts and government officers. The true motivations for the slaughter have been altered and misinterpreted by all sides of the political spectrum. The only certainty is that this singular event has shaped the history of El Salvador for nearly a century. The book not only tries to piece together the events that culminate in the massacre, but more importantly, how the memory of it is used, abused and exploited. And by tracing the changes to public opinion on the massacre, one can see how these perceptions can pave the road to complete disorder. Long believed to be a communist uprising that was brutally put down, other factors rise to the surface after further scrutiny.
The authors make use of newly unveiled documents from the former Soviet Union to reveal connections between Communist Party officials in the USSR, the US and El Salvador, that were used to ascertain if communists were truly behind the revolt. The conclusions featured frustrated Salvadoran communists that saw no real acceptance of communist teachings among the rural poor. Rather, direct economic conditions among farmers and suppliers as a result of the Great Depression were the most likely spark. These frustrations were made clear after petitions were ignored and elections that were seen as illegitimate. Shortly after, the uprising began.
Still, some leftists propagated the idea that communists were responsible. At first, this belief started as a lesson against premature militancy but would later be celebrated as an unfulfilled promise leading up to the civil war in 1980. Ring-wing supporters of the government right after 1932 were reluctant in praising the Matanza, cowed by the savagery of the killings. But over time, the actions by the government began to be revered, especially when voicing a more robust bulwark against perceived communist aggression within El Salvador. These voices were loudest and more unified shortly before the outbreak of war.
The book also dips into the controversial idea of mestizaje, the process by which a nation's identity becomes linked to its mestizo population and ignores other ethnic groups, particularly Indians and Africans. Some leftists embrace mestizaje in order to form a front against class distinctions as opposed to those along ethic lines. There are also credible explorations into why the government reprisals were so brutal (to avoid a potential American intervention) and how the resulting massacre nearly eradicated indigenous language and practices, for several decades.
So much that is told here can be extrapolated to other groups, other nations and other times, even if the scale of the this massacre overshadows other political disagreements. In America in the 21st century, the complex structures and reasons for discontent can be dangerously shaved down and thrust into oversimplified language and concepts. What these authors show is how these obfuscations not only miss the forest for the trees, they may also lead to the conflagration that can burn the whole thing down.
This observation is made during the course of this academic text, more as an antidote to the dilemma that it presents. The mass killing that swept El Salvador in 1932 is referred to simply as La Matanza (the massacre). It resulted in the deaths of an estimated 10,000 to 30,000 rural residents by government troops, after a wave of uprisings against military outposts and government officers. The true motivations for the slaughter have been altered and misinterpreted by all sides of the political spectrum. The only certainty is that this singular event has shaped the history of El Salvador for nearly a century. The book not only tries to piece together the events that culminate in the massacre, but more importantly, how the memory of it is used, abused and exploited. And by tracing the changes to public opinion on the massacre, one can see how these perceptions can pave the road to complete disorder. Long believed to be a communist uprising that was brutally put down, other factors rise to the surface after further scrutiny.
The authors make use of newly unveiled documents from the former Soviet Union to reveal connections between Communist Party officials in the USSR, the US and El Salvador, that were used to ascertain if communists were truly behind the revolt. The conclusions featured frustrated Salvadoran communists that saw no real acceptance of communist teachings among the rural poor. Rather, direct economic conditions among farmers and suppliers as a result of the Great Depression were the most likely spark. These frustrations were made clear after petitions were ignored and elections that were seen as illegitimate. Shortly after, the uprising began.
Still, some leftists propagated the idea that communists were responsible. At first, this belief started as a lesson against premature militancy but would later be celebrated as an unfulfilled promise leading up to the civil war in 1980. Ring-wing supporters of the government right after 1932 were reluctant in praising the Matanza, cowed by the savagery of the killings. But over time, the actions by the government began to be revered, especially when voicing a more robust bulwark against perceived communist aggression within El Salvador. These voices were loudest and more unified shortly before the outbreak of war.
The book also dips into the controversial idea of mestizaje, the process by which a nation's identity becomes linked to its mestizo population and ignores other ethnic groups, particularly Indians and Africans. Some leftists embrace mestizaje in order to form a front against class distinctions as opposed to those along ethic lines. There are also credible explorations into why the government reprisals were so brutal (to avoid a potential American intervention) and how the resulting massacre nearly eradicated indigenous language and practices, for several decades.
So much that is told here can be extrapolated to other groups, other nations and other times, even if the scale of the this massacre overshadows other political disagreements. In America in the 21st century, the complex structures and reasons for discontent can be dangerously shaved down and thrust into oversimplified language and concepts. What these authors show is how these obfuscations not only miss the forest for the trees, they may also lead to the conflagration that can burn the whole thing down.
Displaying 1 of 1 review