Remembering Pinochet's Chile: On the Eve of London 1998

The Memory Box of Pinochet's Chile #1

by Steve J. Stern

During the two years just before the 1998 arrest in London of General Augusto Pinochet, the historian Steve J. Stern had been in Chile collecting oral histories of life under Pinochet as part of an investigation into the form and meaning of memories of state-sponsored atrocities. In this compelling work, Stern shares the recollections of individual Chileans and draws on their stories to provide a framework for understanding memory struggles in history.


“A thoughtful, nuanced study of how Chileans remember the traumatic 1973 coup by Augusto Pinochet against Salvador Allende and the nearly two decades of military government that followed. . . . In light of the recent revelations of American human rights abuses of Iraqi prisoners, [Stern’s] insights into the legacies of torture and abuse in the Chilean prisons of the 1970s certainly have contemporary significance for any society that undergoes a national trauma.”—Publishers Weekly

“This outstanding work of scholarship sets a benchmark in the history of state terror, trauma, and memory in Latin America.”—Thomas Miller Klubock, American Historical Review

“This is a book of uncommon depth and introspection. . . . Steve J. Stern has not only advanced the memory of the horrors of the military dictatorship; he has assured the place of Pinochet’s legacy of atrocity in our collective conscience.”—Peter Kornbluh, author of The Pinochet File: A Declassified Dossier on Atrocity and Accountability

“Steve J. Stern’s book elegantly recounts the conflicted recent history of Chile. He has found a deft solution to the knotty problem of evenhandedness in representing points of view so divergent they defy even the most careful attempts to portray the facts of the Pinochet period. He weaves a tapestry of memory in which narratives of horror and rupture commingle with the sincere perceptions of Chileans who remember Pinochet’s rule as salvation. The facts are there, but more important is the understanding we gain by knowing how ordinary Chileans—Pinochet’s supporters and his victims—work through their unresolved past.”—John Dinges, author of The Condor Years: How Pinochet and His Allies Brought Terrorism to Three Continents

Genres: History, Latin American History, Nonfiction

280 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Steve J. Stern is the Alberto Flores Galindo Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He is the author of books including Reckoning with Pinochet: The Memory Question in Democratic Chile, 1989-2006, Battling for Hearts and Minds: Memory Struggles in Pinochet’s Chile, 1973–1988, winner of the Bolton-Johnson Prize (the Conference on Latin American History), and Remembering Pinochet’s Chile: On the Eve of London 1998.

Reviews

[grace elston · Rating 4 out of 5]

fire

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

The great part of this book are the individual stories - both of those who suffered and lost under Pinochet, and those who saw Pinochet as a savior. (Even though you really want to smack those who fall into the latter category.) But the few stories presented weren't enough to carry the book. So just to push it over 150 pages Stern gets quite repetitive and predictable in his discussions of memory and the different types of memory. Would've been better with more oral history and less attempted theory.

[foxfire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic work of oral history and theoretical grappling with memory. Stern only interviews really particular characters in this episode of Chile's history, and I'd recommend familiarizing yourself with modern Chilean history before diving into this book. This is an incredibly important contribution to the understanding of how memory forms and works in moments of political turmoil and trauma, leftists of all kinds would benefit greatly from understanding how violence works in shaping experience and perspective. The theoretical chapter on memory (Ch. 4) was a bit repetitive and dense at times, but I foresee myself returning to it again for future endeavors. I look forward to reading his other books.

[Elly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Y'all this was great. Steve J. Stern looks at Chilean memory of General Pinochets successful coup on Sept. 11, 1973 and the political violence that was used to suppress perceived enemies. I think we tend to assume that bc it was so violent that the obvious memory should be "wow that was terrible." But as Stern writes, memory is very contentious. He introduces us to actual people and how they remembered what happened. Some saw the coup as the country's salvation, some saw it as a rupture, others are haunted by the persecution they endured, and some are indifferent bc opening the memory box means confronting very harsh and violent realities. The ending is very theory heavy so be aware.

[John Ermer · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are interested in all in the study of memory (collective, historical, emblematic, or otherwise) or of the Cold War in Latin America, this book is for you. This is a riveting account of memory and reckoning in the aftermath of Pinochet's Chile. It's an easy and fantastic read.

[Jaime Álvarez G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Libro clave para entender la persistencia de los recuerdos y la memoria en el Chile post dictadura.

[Ashley Clubb · Rating 4 out of 5]

The interpretation of memory was incredible. But the fact that this is a trilogy does not want me to continue reading. So much!

[Noam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm still shaken from just having finished the book. It was assigned for a class, but I'm glad I read it. It helps make sense of different "emblematic memories" (frameworks and archetypes of memories) not just of the dictatorship and repression in Chile, but universally, from memories/memorials of the Holocaust to individuals' personal familial traumas and crises. Would recommend.

I'm sort of caught between 3 and 4 stars because it was very interesing, informative and insightful, but it could get really repetitive. The concluding chapter, for example, could have been half as long. In fact, the repetitiveness sometimes made my mind wander, so I would miss new concepts hidden in a page and a half of review, and have to re-read.

[Randall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good assessment of personal tales from the Pinochet era, however, I am unsure if I like or agree with the metaphor of a "memory box." Nonetheless, this was a very interesting read and those that are interested in human rights, historical memory, or politics in Latin America should give this one a go.

[Seth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book that looks at the aftermath of Pinochet's Chile. This book contains knowledge from victims of the regime, the perpetrators, and the bystanders. It really showed how memory and history can be manipulated and controlled. It breaks my heart to know what happened to people down in Chile, they should not die alone in the dark. We must remember them, least we forget. This was a class text.

[Chrism485 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Does a nice job of providing some insight into Chile under Pinochet. A little too theoretical for my tastes at some spots.

[M Thalal · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good finding on the study of memory, different memories of different background people who oversaw the rise of General Pinochet to Power in September 11, 1973.

[Haley Ruddock · Rating 3 out of 5]

read this for school but very interesting !