And the Last Shall Be First: Argentina’s Dirty War and the Manipulation of Burkean God-Terms

• In Event: Critiquing, Engaging, and Transforming the Social: Burke and the Strategic Use of Symbols

Abstract

Two questions emerge regarding a specific rhetorical battle waged as part of Argentina’s “Dirty War" (1977-1983): How did a group of housewives manage to survive as the only outspoken critics of one of the most brutal military dictatorships of the 20th century? How did their dissenting message gain traction among a population who willingly bought into the military’s version of Argentina's “narrative”? Burke's god-terms provide us with the best way to answer these questions.

Author

• Eric Ronis, Champlain College