This is not a time for heroes. About multidirectional collective memory and honoring the victims
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https://revistas.ustabuca.edu.co/index.php/IUSTITIA/article/view/3297
10.15332/iust.v24iEspecial.3297
10.15332/iust.v24iEspecial.3297
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Universidad Santo Tomás Seccional Bucaramanga
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Se propone desarrollar cinco puntos concretos en torno a una idea central: no es el momento de vanagloriar figuras heroicas, de inventar superhombres, de levantar dioses encarnados o de exaltar personajes mesiánicos que la posguerra suele producir (llámense militares, presidentes, líderes religiosos o comandantes, sin importar la etiqueta que se les asigne). La tarea que hoy nos corresponde es otra: recordar a los muertos, a los inocentes; proteger el recuerdo de los débiles y magnificar el sacrificio de las víctimas que padecieron los horrores del pasado. Estamos, en definitiva, en la era de la memoria colectiva, una memoria que no glorifica vencedores, sino que dignifica el legado de las víctimas. En la primera parte se examinará por qué sigue siendo pertinente reflexionar sobre el valor de la memoria, diferenciándola del simple recuerdo y destacando que no es banal discutirlo. En segundo lugar, se analizará la memoria colectiva en su carácter dinámico, como experiencia vivida que, con el tiempo, se convierte en norma social. Un tercer apartado abordará la tensión entre historia y memoria, defendiendo que ninguna reemplaza a la otra, pues no existe subsunción posible, sino complementariedad. En cuarto término, se resaltará el carácter multidireccional de la memoria, nutrida de voces diversas que deben ser negociadas y nunca impuestas o convertidas en militancia. Finalmente, se advertirá sobre un desafío particular: la dificultad de recordar la violencia contra las mujeres sin un enfoque de género, riesgo que puede desembocar en la (cruel) ironía de una revictimización al narrar la violación como arma de guerra.
This article develops five core arguments around a central idea: this is not the time to glorify heroic figures, invent supermen, elevate embodied gods, or exalt messianic leaders of the kind that postwar contexts frequently produce (whether military officers, presidents, religious leaders, or commanders, regardless of their label). The task before us is different: to remember the dead and the innocent, to preserve the memory of the vulnerable, and to acknowledge the sacrifice of victims who endured past atrocities. We are, ultimately, in the era of collective memory, one that does not glorify victors but dignifies the legacy of the victims. The first section examines why it remains essential to reflect on the value of memory, distinguishing it from mere recollection and stressing that its discussion is never trivial. The second analyzes the dynamic nature of collective memory, as a lived experience that, over time, becomes a social norm. The third explores the tension between history and memory, highlighting their complementary rather than substitutive roles. The fourth emphasizes the multidirectional dimension of memory, shaped by diverse voices that must be negotiated but never imposed or reduced to militancy. Finally, a specific challenge is addressed: remembering violence against women without a gender perspective, a gap that risks the (cruel) irony of revictimization when sexual violence is memorialized solely as a weapon of war.
This article develops five core arguments around a central idea: this is not the time to glorify heroic figures, invent supermen, elevate embodied gods, or exalt messianic leaders of the kind that postwar contexts frequently produce (whether military officers, presidents, religious leaders, or commanders, regardless of their label). The task before us is different: to remember the dead and the innocent, to preserve the memory of the vulnerable, and to acknowledge the sacrifice of victims who endured past atrocities. We are, ultimately, in the era of collective memory, one that does not glorify victors but dignifies the legacy of the victims. The first section examines why it remains essential to reflect on the value of memory, distinguishing it from mere recollection and stressing that its discussion is never trivial. The second analyzes the dynamic nature of collective memory, as a lived experience that, over time, becomes a social norm. The third explores the tension between history and memory, highlighting their complementary rather than substitutive roles. The fourth emphasizes the multidirectional dimension of memory, shaped by diverse voices that must be negotiated but never imposed or reduced to militancy. Finally, a specific challenge is addressed: remembering violence against women without a gender perspective, a gap that risks the (cruel) irony of revictimization when sexual violence is memorialized solely as a weapon of war.
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Collective memory, Victims, Postwar, Multidirectionality, Revictimization, Memoria colectiva, Víctimas, Posguerra, Multidireccionalidad, Revictimización
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http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0