P100 - The production of counter-memories in the Basque Country from a Feminist Epistemology: The Case of Women Victims of Torture

• In Event: Poster Session & Ice Cream Social

Abstract

Within the context of the peace process of the Basque Country, how do produce memory(ies)? During the process of transition to democracy in the Basque Country, many people have reported having been tortured by law enforcement agents. This reality has been questioned by part of society and is also reflected in the low number of convictions for acts of torture that exist in Spain (only twenty to date). Following the analysis carried out by the Basque Institute of Criminology, the number of verified complaints of torture does not correspond to the existing criminal proceedings, much less to the sentences. In my work I propose, from the theoretical framework offered by the intersection between collective memory studies and feminist epistemology, to rethink how women produce alternative memories to those proposed by different actors that produce official memory, such as the justice system. Who are these women? How are they observed and produced as victims? Who are their victimizers and how do they relate to the historical event in question? How is the subject "woman victim of torture" produced in the judicial process? How do these women victims (re)construct collective memory? What does the construction of an alternative memory by women respond to? How do judges produce or actively participate in the construction of memory? The feminist perspective will allow me to observe how power relations exist in the practices associated with the construction of hegemonic and counter-memories and how they are resisted by Basque women. The incorporation of the narratives that emerge from resistance and mobilization will allow the transition that Basque society is going through to carry out a truly inclusive process of pacification.

Author

• Malena Rocio Maceira, University of the Basque Country