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Paper short abstract

this study examines the reframing of memory politics and the legacy of the human rights movement under Milei’s far-right government. It focuses on a younger generation of “new right-wing” activists who appropriate, contest and redefine emblematic symbols of the memory of dictatorship

Paper long abstract

Based on ethnographic research, this study examines the reframing of memory politics and the legacy of the human rights movement under Milei’s far-right government. It focuses on two contrasting generations: the first, actors who participated in the political conflicts of the 1970s and have been affiliated with “traditional” far-right parties since the return to democracy in 1983; the second: a younger generation of “new right-wing” activists who appropriate, contest and redefine emblematic expressions of the memory of state terrorism—such as Never Again. Born and raised in democracy, they mobilize categories, principles, and values used to interpret the past to position themselves in current political disputes, often against opponents identified as kirchneristas. Both entered the government to manage memory politics. Their political work reveals the multiple meanings and uses attributed to these categories and repertoires of mobilization.

The research draws on a wide range of sources, including in-depth interviews with relatives of perpetrators, victims of guerrilla attacks, and young far-right activists; observation of judicial trials and official events; analysis of Milei’s memory policies, social media content and 200 letters to the editor. Across these arenas, I trace compassion narratives that seek to recast perpetrators as victims and to forge a legitimate political identity. The findings highlight the potential of ethnography to understand social groups that embody extreme forms of alterity, making visible and intelligible the lives of those who perceive themselves as socially dehumanized, offering a unique lens to grasp the dynamics and political imaginaries of Argentina’s emerging far-right movements.