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Remembering the Rescuers of Victims of Human Rights Crimes in Latin America

Marcia Esparza editor Carla De Ycaza editor

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Published:20th Dec '16

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Remembering the Rescuers of Victims of Human Rights Crimes in Latin America cover

This book explores the significance of remembering the rescuers denouncing human rights crimes as well as protecting and sheltering targeted victims—including the dead—during the Cold War state violence in Latin America. In light of newly unearthed archival evidence, testimonial memories, and the continued mobilization of human rights groups to preserve Cold War memory, this timely book moves beyond the victim-perpetrator dichotomy and its discursive studies to focus on those whose moral courage and righteous acts were beacons of hope in the midst of extreme violence. Remembering Latin American “righteousness,” a term used in Holocaust literature, is important in recognizing that those who resisted human rights violations and protected victims yesterday are those who often keep the collective memory of that past alive today.

The least noticed aspect of genocide is the courageous resistance that is often put up to save the victims. This collection shows how victims were helped during Cold War violence in Latin American countries including Guatemala, El Salvador, Argentina, Chile and Colombia. The rich exploration of historical cases enhances our general understanding of "rescue", showing that it is not just a matter of bystander intervention but of solidarity among victims. This is an important collection that deserves a wide readership. -- Martin Shaw, emeritus, University of Sussex
A much-needed and relevant collection of essays on a rarely studied topic—rescuers of human rights violations in Cold War Latin America. Who were the rescuers and how and why did they risk their lives to save others? By examining cases arising in a number of national contexts, the volume provides a valuable contribution to previous discussions about the figure of the “rescuer” and the political and moral duty to remember that have long characterized Holocaust studies. It explores the tension between a historically and geographically broader reading of acts of humanity on one hand, and concrete historical contexts on the other, delivering hopeful and inspiring insights. -- Nina Schneider, Global South Study Center (GSSC), University of Cologne

ISBN: 9781498533263

Dimensions: 240mm x 159mm x 18mm

Weight: 454g

218 pages