During the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, dictatorships in Latin America hastened the outward movement of intellectuals, academics, artists, and political and social activists to other countries. Following the coups that toppled democratically elected governments or curtailed parliamentary oversight, the incoming military or civilian-military administrations assumed that, by forcing those aligned with opposition movements out of the country, they would assure their control of politics and domestic public spheres. Yet, by enlarging a diaspora of co-nationals, the authoritarian rulers merely extrapolated internal dissent and conflicts, emboldening opposition forces beyond their national borders. Displaced individuals soon had a presence in many host countries, gaining the support of solidarity circles and advocacy networks that condemned authoritarianism and worked with exiles and internal resistance towards the restoration of electoral democracy. Exiles soon
became vehicles for spreading cultural ideas from abroad, celebrating cosmopolitanism over nationalism, and emphasizing human rights and democracy in Latin American countries.
Exile, Diaspora, and Return explores how Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay have been affected by post-exilic relocations, transnational migrant displacements, and diasporas. Specifically, this book provides the first comprehensive analysis of diasporic experiences and the impact of returnees on the public life, culture, institutions, and development of post-authoritarian politics in the Southern Cone of the Americas. Bringing together sociopolitical, cultural, and policy analysis with the testimonies of dozens of intellectuals, academics, political activists, and policy makers, the authors address the impact of exile on people's lives and on their fractured experiences; the debates and prospects of return; the challenges of dis-exile and post-exilic trends; and the ways in which those who experienced exile impacted democratized institutions, public culture, and discourse. Furthermore, the authors present new readings of the recent history of South America and the diasporas that
emphasize the importance of regional, transnational or global dimensions over the national.
Industry Reviews
"The authors focus on the policies of deterritorialization, analyzing what they call "the dynamic of mobilization of the diaspora" and the "politics of return," as well as the transformational effect that the exiled had on the redemocratization process. This book constitutes an essential contribution to comparative analyses of these four countries and brings together the humanities, political sciences, history, and sociology ... When considering current debates
on migration and displacement, this book becomes even more relevant, as it invites the reader to rethink Latin American exiles and their diasporas, bridges, and networks." -- Ana Forcinito, Latin
American Research Review
"Exile, Diaspora, and Return offers a sweeping yet comprehensive interdisciplinary study of the crucial impact of exiles from Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay on their home countries, especially in the realms of culture, education, and politics. The authors present important insights for understanding the essential role of returnees in consolidating democratic processes and confronting legacies of authoritarian rule."-James N. Green, Carlos
Manuel de Céspedes Professor of Modern Latin American History, Brown University
"This book provides an excellent study of the lives of returning exiles based on extensive interview material, and also shows that Latin Americans have created a distinctively political form of diaspora that preserves strong national and civic identities and transcends ethnic and territorial boundaries."-David Lehmann, former Director of the Centre for Latin American Studies, University of Cambridge
"This imaginative and innovative volume brings a multidisciplinary approach to the comparative analysis of the exile and return experiences of the victims of the political expulsions practiced by four military dictatorships in the southern cone of Latin America. Empathetic as well as analytical, it conveys the psychological-social traumas involved, and moves beyond the established literature on democratization and the politics of memory by adding new insights
on the eventual (re-)configuration of democratic cultures."-Laurence Whitehead, Senior Research Fellow in Politics, Nuffield College
"From a comparative perspective, this book addresses the exile and return processes in Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay. With analytical rigor and theoretical solidness, the authors approach a diversity of documentary sources. This effort opens new horizons for the comprehension and study of barely known issues until now. Undoubtedly, this book will become a work of reference for all those interested in the recent history of Latin America."-Pablo
Yankelevich, El Colegio de México
