Militancy, dictatorship and sites for representation in Rio de la Plata: Museo de la Memoria and Escuela de Mecánica de la Armada

ABSTRACT Though they deal with a similar time period and share similar aims, Museo de la Memoria in Montevideo and what was formerly Escuela de Mecánica de la Armada (the Naval Mechanics School, or ESMA) in Buenos Aires present contrasting depictions of dictatorship, social mobilization, repression, and the return to democracy in the Southern Cone. The planning for both sites took place in the 21st century, drawing on new and more progressive political proposals with a focus on the issues associated with recovering memory. A comparative analysis of the sites, then, seems timely. The differences in the two sites are related to not only the exhibits themselves but to the role of government-sponsored memories, state agencies, and other social groups. There are similarities between the exhibits at MUME and the former ESMA, both of which gloss over the violence exercised by those who fought against the regime. At the same time, some degree of political indoctrination can be seen in the curatorial representation of this conflictive period at both institutions.