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Presentation of "Specters of War: The Battle of Mourning in Postconflict Central America"

We are pleased to announce an upcoming online lecture by Prof. Ignacio Sarmiento (California State University) within the 7th Colloquium on Latin America.

When: WEDNESDAY, MAY 20th, 18:00–20:00 CET (Central Europan Time)
Where: ONLINE (Free admission)

Find more information about the colloquium series here.

About the lecture:

Specters of War offers an interdisciplinary study of expressions of mourning in postwar Central America. Through the analysis of sites of memory, museums, theatre, and fiction, this book proposes that a battle over the work of mourning is underway in contemporary El Salvador and Guatemala. The main struggle in the battle of mourning is over who can be cried for, in which ways people grieve their loved ones, and who takes part or is invited to participate in this process. What is at stake in the battle of mourning is not a version of the events that occurred or the desire to bring to the fore some overlooked story, but the possibility of an open, public act of grieving the dead. Mourning, as this book demonstrates, is not restricted to individual, intimate expressions; it is an open battle in the public sphere where different communities participate – from victims and relatives of state terrorism to the armies, the guerrillas, and the elites. This clash of forces demonstrates that in postwar Central America, mourning the dead is a privilege not a right.