Kidnapped Memories: Argentina's Stolen Children Tell Their Stories

Abstract

One of the most deplorable and characteristic aspects of Argentina's “Dirty War” (1976–1983) was the stealing of babies by military families or regime supporters. Approximately 500 children were “transferred” during this time period. Thanks to the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo, 108 children have had their identities restored to date. This article focuses on how child transfer in Argentina has affected the construction of memories at both the individual and societal levels. By studying a few well-chosen cases of children whose identities have been restored, I seek to characterize the different and often radically opposed ways in which the sons and daughters of disappeared leftist militants have told their stories and understood their experience. My goal is to identify some of the most capacious and emblematic memory scripts that have emerged to accommodate variegated individual biographies. From these cases, it becomes abundantly clear that what is in the “best interest of the child” has no easy answer. One important conclusion is that the stolen children's memories (as young adults) are almost always a reflection of politically motivated, present-bound interests and manifest in tandem with the dynamics of Argentina's transition to democracy as a broader historical process.

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Keith David Watenpaugh for the invitation and opportunity to think through the important topic of child transfer in Argentina. I am also grateful to Pilar Calveiro, Mónica Szurmuk, and Lupe Arenillas for our conversations throughout the research process. Their advice has been invaluable. Finally, I am grateful to María de Vecchi Gerli for sharing her illuminating master's thesis. Many details in this article draw on the richness of her fieldwork.