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Museology of Traumatic Memories and Democracy in Brazil
Ana Paula Brito Professor at the Maria Sibylla Merian Center for Advanced Latin American Studies ( CALAS ) at the Institute of Advanced Transdisciplinary Studies at the Federal University of Minas Gerais
After the Covid-19 pandemic and the profound grief caused by the loss of loved ones , the unfulfilled right to mourn and the global tragedy that isolated people worldwide , I expanded my focus beyond what I had been studying regarding the memories of the dictatorship in Brazil ( 1964-1985 ). I realised that the research methodology and the necessary sensitivity in addressing this topic could and should be applied to other traumatic memories , such as the pandemic itself and various social traumas that we often avoid confronting in Brazil with our characteristic approach to conflicts , the “ Brazilian way of doing things ”.
In Brazil , the vaccine rollout against the virus was significantly delayed , not due to financial constraints but because the then-president , Jair Bolsonaro , a vaccine sceptic , took months to secure vaccines . Instances of overpricing were later uncovered during the procurement process , leading to investigations by the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry on the pandemic .
Unfortunately , my mother did not receive the vaccine in time and passed away with severe lung issues , unaware of her infection . It took me a long time to process my grief and transform it into a call for action . Over time , I began to connect this personal experience with my work on memories of state violence , acknowledging that trauma is no longer confined to the realm of therapy and psychoanalysis . It extends across various disciplines beyond the social and human sciences .
As I observed efforts to communicate and reinterpret traumatic memories of the dictatorship in Brazil , which received significant public investment since 2002 , particularly with the establishment of the Amnesty Commission , I recognised that there are many other forms of violence that Brazil still refuses to address today . These include the genocides resulting from colonial invasions of native peoples , transatlantic trafficking , high rates of
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Observing Memories Issue 7