A transnational memory of enforced disappearance in Latin America

The purpose of this article is to examine the memory of enforced disappearance constructed by the Latin American Federation of Associations for Relatives of the Detained and Disappeared throughout its trajectory. Taking up the discussions around the concepts of transnational memory and memory activism, and drawing on specialised literature, material from human rights archives and interviews with members of Latin American Federation of Associations for Relatives of the Detained and Disappeared, this article outlines the main elements of a Latin American memory of enforced disappearance. It is argued that Latin American Federation of Associations for Relatives of the Detained and Disappeared and its associations have operated as collective agents of memory beyond the borders, and identifies two aspects of this transnational memory are identified: the memory of the phenomenon of enforced disappearance and the memory of the struggle against it. Finally, the article examines the tensions and changes in this memory over four decades.