The Legacy of Authoritarianism and the Construction of Historical Memory in Post-Stroessner Paraguay

Abstract

Paraguay underwent one of the longest and most incomplete democratic transitions in South America. The uniqueness of the democratic transition in Paraguay initiated by a coup led by a close associate of Stroessner implied that it would take years to achieve a profound change in the legacy of authoritarianism and the construction of historical memory. The Colorado Party, which provided political support for Stroessner’s dictatorship, continued to dominate the electoral scene in Paraguay for two more decades until the election of Fernando Lugo as president in April 2008, and it has regained power in 2013. This chapter is designed to analyze whether Paraguay is a society with too much or too little historical memory, and what forms the politics of memory did follow in this South American country. We claim that there has been a disjuncture between recognizing the record of human rights violations of Stroessner’s regime and the persisting criminalization of protest and social movements, particularly in rural areas.