From Repression to Heritage: Vestiges of State Violence in Madrid and Santiago, Chile

Abstract

This article explores social practices related to two sites of repression both resulting from 20thcentury dictatorships: Villa Grimaldi in Santiago, Chile, and Carabanchel Prison in Madrid, Spain. The conservation and memorialization of «sites of memory» is a common practice in the contemporary world. The objective here is to analyse critically certain aspects of the memorial culture in which these practices are generated and developed, demonstrating the existence of transnational dialogues and mimetic processes between communities rooted in different contexts. Taking this transnational perspective as its starting point, the article explores the actors, languages, rituals and timing of the heritage valuation processes affecting these two sites in the 21st century, and compares and contrasts similarities and differences, demonstrating the development of a common memorial culture. This dialogue suggests a reflection on various critical aspects of the transnational culture in which these two processes are framed.