“Recovering identity”: The work of the grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo

Abstract

The Association of the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo formed in 1977 in Argentina to seek the restitution of more than 400 children kidnapped or born in captivity during the 1976–1983 dictatorship. In their multilevel work, the Grandmothers seek collaboration with experts to clarify the legal and political contexts in which these children were stolen, assess the medical and psychological condition of each individual child and her or his families, and verify the genetic filiation. This article describes work which has brought both international attention to the plight of these and many other children, as well as legal and scientific expertise to the service of the Grandmothers efforts. It reflects important relations between politics and science, forging new understandings of ethical issues around questions of paternity, maternity, and the right to one's “identity.” The discussion is situated within an ongoing feminist debate concerning reproductive technologies and parenting in hopes of elucidating some of the difficult questions which confront those working in multicultural, international, and interdisciplinary contexts.