Argentine Society Research Articles

Rethinking Victimhood: Violence and Female Agency in Contemporary Argentine Memory Cinema

Rethinking Victimhood: Violence and Female Agency in Contemporary Argentine Memory Cinema Ana Marina Gamba In the opening images of the 2011 film Infancia clandestina a young child asks his parents to quickly open the door of the house as he needs to go to the bathroom. What appears to be a rather ordinary event abruptly becomes a scene from an action film. Gunshots are fired from a moving vehicle towards the family, in response to which the parents draw their own guns. Using an aesthetic that distinctly evokes a superhero comic book, the film shows the famous actress and pop singer Natalia Oreiro firing back at the unknown aggressors. In spite of the considerable number of Argentine movies depicting the events that took place in that country in the 1970s, the scene described above appeared as quite novel. As pointed out by Gonzalo Aguilar, this film was the first one to give a fictional portrayal of the activities of the revolutionary groups from that period (17)—more specifically in this context, of the political organization called Montoneros.1 This article addresses a yet unstudied aspect of this wider phenomenon: the specific transformation that the figure of the female activist suffered in this strain of “memory cinema.”2 It argues that there is a fracture in contemporary cinema concerning previous cinematic representations of female revolutionary activists. The main aim of this essay is to comprehend the relationship between narratives portraying women as mere “innocent victims,” on the one hand, and figurations more centered on the political agency of female characters, on the other. The former narratives appeared in the immediate aftermath of the return to democracy, while the latter emerged in the second decade of the 21st century, exploring the duality of the female characters as both victims and perpetrators of violence. The present analysis is inspired by the theoretical framework of memory studies which holds that any discourse about the past should also be considered an expression of the present where it emerges. In this case, the unprecedented growth of feminist movements in Argentina in recent years3 will provide an essential background to our analysis. From this perspective, the shift in the way female victimhood is portrayed should be analyzed as twofold: as a new perspective on the social understanding of events that occurred during the last dictatorship (1976–1983), and as a transformation in the relationship between women and politics that characterizes contemporary culture and politics in Argentina. [End Page 17] 1. Innocent victims The production of films—both fictional and documentary—has been of great significance in the construction of social memory throughout history, as the case of the Holocaust has clearly demonstrated (Lewis, 7). Argentina is by no means an exception. In the years following the end of the dictatorship in 1983, audiovisual productions constructed a narrative about that period that compensated for the absence of historic visual records—the clandestine character of the repression meant that there were no traces of the action of the army (Feld and Stites Mor, 20). The cruelty and cynicism of the atrocities committed by the military were so disturbing and inconceivable that the Argentine society resorted to visual representations to comprehend what had happened during those years. Therefore, artistic discourses—notably cinema—were granted a very important role in the collective production of memory, and, since the return of democracy, numerous films problematizing the 1970s have been released.4 Regarding this cinematic repertoire, Ana Amado distinguishes different cycles in post-dictatorship memory (13). The years immediately following the return of democracy in Argentina, identified as the first cycle, were characterized by a heated public debate on the events that took place in the country during the military government. Central issues were the responsibility of the different parties involved and the most viable alternatives to overcome the tremendous suffering as a society. The new government, backed by human rights associations, instructed a commission5 to investigate the crimes perpetrated by the military. The purpose of such investigations was to pursue legal action on the basis of the information gathered. The version about the past supported by these social actors tried to decouple the victims of the State repression from their...

Procesos extractivos, territorio y autonomí­a indí­gena. El pueblo mapuche en Neuquén

Este trabajo analiza la trayectoria de la organización supracomunitaria mapuche de la provincia de Neuquén- ubicada en la cabecera de la Patagonia argentina- desde la década de 1990 a la de 2010, con el fin de caracterizar el desarrollo de una lí­nea de acción polí­tica basada en la relación entre territorio y autonomí­a dentro de la misma. Uno de los objetivos centrales radica en aportar a las miradas acerca de la heterogeneidad de lí­neas polí­ticas y estrategias dentro del pueblo mapuche. El principal resultado del estudio se vincula a la posibilidad de observar la progresiva apertura de esta organización hacia el trabajo articulado con diferentes sectores del pueblo argentino, así­ como sus intentos por impulsar esta lí­nea polí­tica en las comunidades que la componen. De esta forma, la etapa de resistencia mapuche abierta durante el neoliberalismo de los años 90, que impactó en los territorios por medio de la aceleración de la voracidad de los procesos extractivos, significó el inicio de una lí­nea polí­tica que –a contramano de interpretaciones que la relacionan con la violencia y el separatismo– terminó orientándose hacia la identificación de problemáticas comunes con algunos sectores de la sociedad argentina y hacia el trabajo en articulación con los mismos.

La Ley Micaela y el notariado

El presente artículo comienza con una ligera mención de los antecedentes de la Ley N° 27.499, principalmente el impacto que en la sociedad argentina produjo el femicidio de Micaela García, y la consecuente lucha por la visibilización de desigualdades y violencias que vienen realizando movimientos de mujeres y otras disidencias sexuales en nuestro país. Seguidamente se señala la importancia de la creación como cartera de estado al Ministerio de las Mujeres, Géneros y Diversidad por parte del Estado Nacional. Previamente a comenzar con el análisis en particular de la ley en el notariado, se reseñan algunos hitos importantes que fueron citados en los fundamentos del proyecto de ley, para comprender el espíritu de la misma. Se analizan las características y sistema del notariado que adopta nuestro país, que nos llevan a afirmar sin hesitaciones la obligatoriedad de capacitación en género de los notarios y las notarias, de conformidad a lo dispuesto por Ley Micaela, que se extienda esta capacitación hacia los empleados y empleadas de las notarías, y las consecuencias de la negativa en capacitarse. Por último, dejamos planteados algunos interrogantes con la intención de que sirvan como puntapié inicial para futuras reflexiones e instamos a los Colegios de Escribanos y al Consejo Federal del Notariado Argentino a asumir el compromiso de emprender el camino de la capacitación en género establecido por la Ley Micaela, transversalizando la perspectiva de género.

Alianza Anticomunista Argentina. Análisis de su trayectoria y articulaciones represivas

Desde la década de 1980 existe en la sociedad argentina un sentido común sobre la Alianza Anticomunista Argentina (Triple A), que tiende a mirarla como la organización que coordinó la represión ilegal durante el tercer peronismo (1973-1983) y cuyo accionar dependió exclusivamente de los designios del ministro José López Rega. El presente artículo busca problematizar estas interpretaciones a partir de dos ejes temáticos: la trayectoria histórica de la Triple A y las articulaciones establecidas con otros agentes represivos de la época. Dichas temáticas permitirán observar la complejidad de este escuadrón de la muerte desde el carácter procesual de su evolución organizativa y represiva como a partir de los intereses estratégicos que guiaron sus relaciones al interior del entramado represivo. El trabajo muestra cómo la Triple A evolucionó en su estructura y prácticas violentas acorde a los cambios en el contexto político y el proceso represivo contrainsurgente. Además, se formulan tres modelos interpretativos del tipo de articulación sostenida por el escuadrón: compenetración, complementariedad y divergencia.

Efecto citomolecular de la vitamina E combinada con sulfato ferroso: un modelo in vitro sobre el tratamiento preventivo de la anemia durante la primera infancia

Dado que la anemia afecta el normal crecimiento y desarrollo de los niños, la Sociedad Argentina de Pediatría recomienda la suplementación preventiva diaria con sulfato ferroso. Sin embargo, el tratamiento diario puede llevar a la sobrecarga tisular de hierro provocando daño sobre proteínas, lípidos y ADN. Con el propósito de eludir estos efectos no deseados, ha surgido como alternativa la posibilidad de implementar un tratamiento alternativo que consiste en la suplementación semanal. Por otra parte, la vitamina E, es el antioxidante no enzimático liposoluble más importante y esencial en la defensa celular. A raíz de esto, el presente trabajo tiene como objetivo evaluar el efecto de la vitamina E sobre el sulfato ferroso en sus dos formas de administración (semanal y diaria) en linfocitos de sangre periférica humana cultivados in vitro. Se llevó a cabo el ensayo de micronúcleos con bloqueo de la citocinesis, y se realizaron 8 tratamientos que incluyen los respectivos controles y tratamientos combinados de sulfato ferroso diario y semanal con dos dosis de vitamina E. Se evidenciaron diferencias estadísticamente significativas para la frecuencia de micronúcleos (F= 840,04; p= 0,0). Los resultados obtenidos en este trabajo demostraron un efecto protector de la vitamina E, disminuyendo el daño que el sulfato ferroso ocasiona. Sumado a esto, se corroboró que la administración del mismo en dosis únicas semanales provoca menor daño cromosómico que en dosis diarias.

Cannabis, dolor y autoinmunidad

The constant search to improve the quality of life of the population leads us to obtain medicines to prevent and better treat diseases. In this search, substances already known for other properties, acquire relevance when their effectiveness can be demonstrated to improve the evolution of some pathologies. On the occasion of the enactment of the Law of Medicinal Use of the Cannabis Plant and its current regulations, the problem in the use of its derivatives in the treatment of painful medical conditions and autoimmune diseases acquires particular importance. In this sense, it is appropriate that medical societies in general and in this case, the Argentine Society of Rheumatology in particular, give rise to a space for publication and discussion of this topic. In this edition, Scublinsky D et al publish a study carried out on the behavior of doctors regarding the prescription of therapeutic cannabis. It is of interest to know what doctors think because they are the direct effectors of Health and to whom patients listen the most. Also in this edition, an update of the subject is presented with the available evidence and the discussion of the subject, which is interesting to read.

‘Una piccola Italia.’ L’Argentina e il lavoro degli Italiani: breve storia di un tema che partì socialista e arrivò fascista

ABSTRACT This essay analyses the development of a crucial idea: the concept of human work in Italian culture and literature during the final decades of the Nineteen Century and the first four decades of the Twentieth. This time frame, that sees the freshly unified Italy going through crisis but also economic and industrial development, is the period in which Socialism becomes relevant and influences writers and thinkers. And so does the concept of human work that is depicted by many writers dealing with the massive Italian emigration, particularly to Argentina, as a fundamental right of man, a means to advance in life and society. Many works by Edmondo De Amicis, a very popular and loved writer of that time, represent people struggling and succeeding in migrating and creating wealth and comfortable living conditions at home and abroad through a positive work ethic. But with the development of the new century and the increasing prevalence of Nationalism as well as the experience of Colonialism, the idea of migration and working abroad assumes overtones of conquest and domination: in the case of the fascist author Comunardo Braccialarghe, this shift is evident as he celebrates Italian participation in Argentine society as something akin to a Roman conquest and a way to make the Italian Kingdom powerful and dominant beyond its national borders.

Recommendations for the assessment of birth size and postnatal growth of preterm newborns

It is unquestionable the need to have standards of size at birth and growth to evaluate and contribute to guide the actions in the care of the newborn. For many years the references of Lejarraga and Fustiñana were used, progressively replaced by those of Fenton and Kim. However, recently, the INTERGROWTH-21st project has developed prescriptive growth standards to evaluate the size at birth from 33 weeks of gestational age, references from 24 to 32.6 weeks of gestational age, and curves for postnatal growth from 27 weeks of gestational age onward. The Growth and Development and Neonatal Fetal Studies Committees of the Argentine Society of Pediatrics in conjunction with the Secretary of National Government of Health agreed to recommend the replacement of the Fenton and Kim curves with those of INTERGROWTH-21st.

Attendees to the Argentine Society of Cardiology Webinars. Analysis of Variables Associated with Audience and Trend

Attendees to the Argentine Society of Cardiology Webinars. Analysis of Variables Associated with Audience and Trend

Systematic application of an algorithm for lipid management in cardiovascular high- risk patients. Impact on lipid goals

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the indicated lipid-lowering therapy and verify the achievement of the recommendedlipid goals during hospitalization and early follow-up, after the systematic application of a lipid managementalgorithm based on current recommendations.Methods: Patients hospitalized for acute coronary syndrome or programmed revascularization surgery were prospectivelyincluded in the study. A lipid management algorithm, including; 1) early indication of high-intensity statins during hospitalizationand 2) early follow-up (6 and 12-week controls), was systematically applied. The therapy indicated was based on positiondocuments of the Argentine Society of Cardiology. Achievement of LDL-C goals (<70 mg/dl) at 6 and 12 weeks was analyzed.Results: A total of 292 patients were prescribed statins (high-intensity in 95.9% of cases) at hospital discharge. AT 6 weeks,62.5% reached the LDL-C goal. The therapeutic plan was modified in 36.3% of patients (increased dose of statins in 19.7%and addition of ezetimibe in 67.7%). At 12 weeks, 69.1% of the subgroup which has not fulfilled the goal at 6 weeks, attainedthe lipid target. A PCSK9 inhibitor (PCSK9i) was indicated in 7 patients. Overall, 88.4% of patients achieved the LDL-C goalat 12 weeks.Conclusion: Many cardiovascular high-risk patients reached LDL-C goals at 12 weeks with the systematic application of aguideline-based algorithm. The indication of a PCSK9i was reserved for a reduced group of patients.

ASEI 102 demorado, otro efecto colateral de la pandemia

El año 2020 será recordado en los futuros libros de historia como el año de la pandemia de CoVID-19, producida por el virus SARS-CoV-2.&#x0D; No es para menos, teniendo en cuenta que, habiendo transcurrido poco más de ocho meses desde la descripción de los primeros casos en la ciudad de Wuhan, provincia de Hubei, en China, ya se han reportado aproximadamente 30 millones de infectados, con más de 1 millón de muertes en todas las regiones del planeta.&#x0D; América Latina se ha convertido en los últimos meses en el epicentro de la pandemia. Seis de los doce países del mundo con más casos reportados pertenecen a esta región: Brasil, Perú, México, Colombia, Chile y Argentina.&#x0D; Quienes editamos esta publicación somos profesionales de la salud y, como tales, estamos profundamente comprometidos con las tareas asistenciales y de investigación derivadas de este inédito desafío epidemiológico.&#x0D; La pandemia ha provocado una catástrofe sanitaria, social y económica, con consecuencias aún no suficientemente medidas en el plano individual. Entre los centenares de miles de enfermos y fallecidos, los trabajadores de la salud están desproporcionadamente representados. Todos aquellos que formamos parte del equipo de salud tenemos colegas que han padecido la enfermedad en sus diferentes presentaciones, incluyendo las formas críticas y, lamentablemente, la muerte.&#x0D; En este difícil contexto nos fue imposible editar durante el primer cuatrimestre el número 102 de nuestra revista, que se viene publicando en forma ininterrumpida desde 1993. Por eso pedimos disculpas a nuestros lectores y junto con presentarles esta (demorada) edición número 102, nos comprometemos a regularizar la publicación de los números siguientes en los próximos meses.&#x0D; En nombre de la Sociedad Argentina de Infectología y Fundación Huésped les agradecemos su permanente apoyo y los invitamos a enviarnos sus trabajos para su eventual publicación.&#x0D; Seguimos trabajando para obtener la indexación de nuestra revista en PubMed. Contamos con ustedes.

Afrikaans in Patagonia: Language shift and cultural integration in a rural immigrant community

AbstractChubut Province, in Patagonia, Argentina, is home to a group of Afrikaans-speaking Boers, descendants of those who–starting in 1902–came to Argentina from the region of present-day South Africa. Although little Afrikaans is spoken among fourth- and fifth-generation community members, many in the third generation (60 years and older) still maintain the language. According to Joshua Fishman’s model of generational language shift, the Boers’ Afrikaans should have been largely diluted by the third generation; older community members today should have little functional knowledge of the language, and their children and grandchildren none. The goal of this paper is to explore the persistence of bilingualism in the Argentine Boer community and explain why the changes normally associated with the third generation of immigrants are only now being seen in the fourth and fifth generations. On the basis of bilingual interviews with living community members, we argue that the community’s attitude toward Afrikaans as a language of group identity, as well as the relative isolation of the community in rural Patagonia in the first half of the 20th century, were both decisive factors in delaying the process of linguistic assimilation. Only in the middle of the 20th century, when the community came into greater contact with Argentine society as a result of modernization and schooling in the region, did the process of linguistic integration begin in a measurable way.

Gender, activism and social change: Reframing the contemporary heroine

Because society is shaped through the stories we tell, women’s testimonies are of foundational relevance when we reflect on social change, since their stories reinvent not only individual but also collective identity. As an examination from a life narrative perspective on how women view, enact, and reformulate their role in society, this paper centers on the testimony of Dr. Diana Maffía, whom –among other noteworthy womenwas instrumental in solidifying the work on gender and feminist perspective in Argentina since the early 1980s.&#x0D; This paper is an approach to Maffía’s story, about her growing up during military dictatorship, her early years as a philosophy student at the University of Buenos Aires, her embrace of feminism, and the weaving of her two passions that resulted in the establishment of a permanent presence of the concept of gender within the very structure of Argentinean society. Maffía’s narrative brings to light the work that unsung heroines do throughout their lives, evidencing that women have always been at the forefront of generating and sustaining change.

Vegetarian diets in childhood

Parents who decide to change the usual diet of their children for a more restrictive one should know the risks and advantages of the chosen diet and receive information that helps them to offer their children a sufficient diet. Vegetarian diets can be adopted as long as they are planned by specialists with the inclusion of a wide variety of plant foods and fortified foods with the appropriate supplementation indicated at each stage. The objective of this document is to present the position of the Nutrition Committee of the Argentine Society of Pediatrics and to provide health professionals with adequate information to respond to the concerns of parents and patients who decide to choose a vegetarian diet as a modality of feeding. The challenges to betaken into account are identified, highlighting that without these considerations and proper monitoring these diets cannot be carried out safely in childhood.

40 years after victory: disputing memories over the 1978 World Cup in Argentina

ABSTRACT This article discusses the memories of the 1978 World Cup in Argentina from the country’s re-democratization after its last dictatorship (1976–1983) to 2018, when the 40th anniversary of the event was celebrated. At first, upon return to democracy, the most widespread memory of the 1978 World Cup – regarding both its organization and the victory – was from a critical perspective. But the idea of resistance was highlighted in the context of the reopening, under the Kirchner governments (2003–2015), of the legal proceedings in 2006. In 2018, the 40th anniversary of the World Cup was almost forgotten under the presidency of Maurício Macri. The purpose of this paper is to identify what led to this evolution, working from the idea that constructions of memory reflect the disputes and issues of the present, whath allows us to broaden the debate about the way Argentine society engages with its recent past.

Mafalda.

El presente artículo traza el recorrido de Mafalda desde su primera aparición, en 1964, hasta la última, en 1973. El análisis sitúa la importancia de Mafalda en la literatura juvenil argentina desde sus orígenes hasta la época actual, insistiendo en su vigencia y modernidad. Presta especial atención a la relación de género que establece Mafalda con los adultos (tanto hombres como mujeres, pero con especial insistencia en las actitudes masculinas) y con los niños. Evoca también el panel de personajes creado por Quino de cara a esta problemática, caracterizado por la presencia de figuras típicas de la sociedad argentina de los años 1960 y 1970, por sus comportamientos y por sus formas de hablar.

Un microcosmos de la sociedad argentina polarizada en El basural de Carlos Gorostiza

The late Carlos Gorostiza, playwright, novelist and former Argentine Secretary of Culture, is most well-known for his dramatic works, and scarce attention has been given to his 1988 creative non-fiction novel El basural (The Garbage Dump). Nonetheless, this text, which centres on a public dispute over the existence of a dump in a Buenos Aires neighbourhood, accurately mirrors the socio-political divisions which permeated Argentine society for much of the twentieth century. I argue that the two sides of the conflict—the waste-pickers who inhabit the dump and depend on it for their survival, and their contemptible middle-class neighbors—represent conflicting groups in twentieth-century Argentine society: respectively, the working class and the middle-class medio pelo. By chronologically linking the plot and the publication of the novel to key political and social developments in Argentine history, I demonstrate its relevance, highlighting the author’s criticism of the medio pelo, the segment of the middle-class which simulates an upper-class existence.

Global Dialysis Perspective: Argentina.

Argentina is the third most populated country in South America with an estimated population of 44,494,502. Despite having an area of 2,780,400 km2 (eighth largest in the world), 90% of the population resides in urban areas, with the majority concentrated in and around Buenos Aires. Life expectancy is 79.7 years in women and 73.6 years in men, with cardiovascular disease as the leading cause of mortality. Argentina spends approximately 10% of its gross domestic product on health care (1). There are 3.94 physicians and 4.5 hospital beds per 1000 inhabitants in Argentina (2). The physician-patient ratio is similar to that of Australia, Italy, Spain, and Switzerland, and is double than Brazil and almost four times than Chile and Peru. Argentina has a multitiered, decentralized health care system that is plagued by fragmented management and financing. There are national, provincial, and municipal government–sponsored health care insurances, which together with union-sponsored insurances, provide health care coverage to nearly 22 million people. An additional approximately 10% of the population has private health insurance, leaving nearly 36% of the population without health care coverage or the financial means to pay for private insurance. These individuals are cared for at cost-free public hospitals and community facilities (1,2). The first hemodialysis (HD) treatment in Argentina dates back to 1955. Five years later in 1960, the Argentine Society of Nephrology was founded (3). The incidence and prevalence of CKD and ESKD have been growing steadily, most likely because of increasing rates of diabetes and obesity as well as an aging population. Indeed, CKD is now the seventh leading cause of mortality in Argentina, and CKD-related deaths have increased by 15% between 2007 and 2017 (4). The National Transplantation Institute (INCUCAI) supports a National Dialysis and Transplant Registry (5,6). Patient …

Las peleas económico-comerciales más allá del boxeo. Prensa, avisos publicitarios y radio en Argentina en los años ‘20

El siguiente trabajo analiza una de las peleas de boxeo internacional más famosas de la primera mitad del siglo XX: el match por el campeonato mundial de peso pesado entre el argentino Luis Ángel Firpo (1894-1960) y el norteamericano Jack Dempsey (1895-1983). El mismo movilizó a gran parte de la sociedad argentina. En este multitudinario e inédito proceso de movilización popular, la prensa escrita fue un actor central. Teniendo en cuenta ello y tomando este acontecimiento ‘deportivo’ como un gran condensador de significados, el siguiente trabajo indaga, a través del análisis crítico del discurso y los aportes de la historia social y cultural, la función que tuvo la publicidad, y los sentidos puestos en circulación a través de los avisos publicitarios en los medios escritos argentinos de mayor circulación. Asimismo, se focaliza la atención en uno de los productos más novedosos, originales, y difundidos por la publicidad de aquella época: la radio. Nuestra hipótesis es que este evento deportivo producido a principios de la década de los ‘20 amplificó y consolidó un proceso que en la Argentina estaba recién configurándose: la estrecha relación entre los eventos deportivos, la publicidad gráfica y la radio. Luego de esta pelea la tríada deporte espectáculo, publicidad y radio adquirió en la Argentina nuevas dimensiones político-comerciales.

La pollada peruana en Buenos Aires: Migración y comportamiento étnico en un contexto de conflicto urbano

ABSTRACT The Peruvian pollada is an organized practice of fundraising solidarity through the preparation and distribution of meals among informal networks of relatives and friends. Emerged fifty years ago in the context of the great migrations to the city of Lima, the pollada has consolidated itself in the Peruvian culture and assumes a veriegated set of functions. This paper discusses the reproduction of the practice by Peruvian immigrants in the Abasto neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It provides a detailed description of the uses, forms and role of the pollada as a unique experience of Peruvians migrants in their adjustment to Argentine society. The analysis points to the importance of ethnic identity as a decisive factor in articulating forms of mutual assistance among immigrants. It also underscores the effectiveness of the pollada as an expression of ethnic behavior in the migratory context.