Breaking the 'Silence' of the Military Regime : new Politics of Memory in Brazil

Kurzfassung/Abstract

This article elucidates the latest developments in the ‘politics of memory’ regarding the military regime in Brazil. Only recently, I argue, has the Brazilian state abandoned its ‘politics of silence’ and started to actively champion the memory of the left-wing ‘resistance’. This new strategy climaxed in a governmental crisis over a historic plan to establish a National Truth Commission to investigate human rights violations during
the military regime. The article analyses key incidents and debates prior to the crisis, and contrasts the post-dictatorial collective memory of Brazil with that of other Latin American countries.