Revisiting subjectivities: Women exiled from Uruguay through their letters, 1976-1985

Abstract

In a limited studied dimension of exile, we examine the correspondence of two Uruguayan women arrived in Europe in different circumstances: one to Sweden, after a stay in prison, and the other to Belgium, following refuge in other Latin American countries. We examine her narratives with a multidisciplinary perspective as well as taking Charlotte Delbo's concepts of deep memory and common memory to interpret the language of their letters. Some questions guide the analysis: How did they convey daily life in exile? Also, what were their relationships with past and contemporary political realities? In their new countries of residence, did they live changes taking place in Uruguay? Did they try to communicate them in their letters? 

The stories of these women, although personal, lead to a typology that could illustrate unexplored aspects of the history of women during the dictatorship. Indeed, some exiled women have integrated precariously in the host countries, a place of transit awaiting return. Others discovered new spaces, vocations, political approaches, feminist ideas there. What seems common is the presence of a deep memory that daily life silences or nuances, but which remains firm. It is not a happy or positive memory, it is rooted in hiding and the vicissitudes of exile. Heartbreaking scenes from prison, farewells and adaptation to new countries are remembered. The mourning for the country they left is almost always inconclusive and denied. These deep memories, not investigated nor processed, by intention or indifference, contribute to explain the feminine silences on the return from exile.