SUMMARY Opening Cracks in the Darkness: Affections of Memory and Resistance to Denialism in Chile from Cueca Sola Collective’s Feminist Activism

Abstract

This article addresses the role of cultural activist practices of memory and human rights in Chile, especially in the context of the coup d'état’s 50th anniversary commemorations. Within this context, it highlights the practice of the Cueca Sola Collective, of which both authors are part of, and its most recent actions, Calles caminadas (Streets that have been walked) and 50 años, 50 cuecas solas (50 years, 50 cuecas solas).  

The article reflects on the complexity of resisting in the face of denialist narratives and the deepening of neoliberalism in the region, especially after the defeat of the Constitutional Project of 2022, the pandemic, the rise of Javier Milei in Argentina, among other milestones that reveal a deep socio-political crisis. The governing political scene in Chile has installed a narrative about memory prolonging that of the concertación’s first governments, marked by a fearful and faint will for justice, which is not only insufficient, but also complicit with impunity. This emphasizes the need to persevere in collective organization and in denouncing state violence, as well as to build new images and possibilities for life, in a dialogue that includes concepts such as patience and urgency from the feminist struggle, as well as the importance of “imágenes-esperanzas” (“images-hopes”) from the cultural resistance.