50 Years On...

exploring Uruguay's experience of dictatorship in historical, international, and contemporary perspective.

Unlike the dramatic coup in Chile on September 11, 1973, the auto-golpe (or self-coup) in Uruguay occurred in a much more gradual manner, or what some scholars have called a “sliding process” that ultimately reached an apex on June 27, 1973. On that date, elected president Juan María Bordaberry promulgated a measure closing Parliament and disbanding the elected governmental structures. It launched a period of military rule and repression that lasted for 12 years, although the effects and impacts of this period continue to play out in local, national, and global contexts.

The 50th anniversary of the official onset of Uruguay’s military rule is just 8 months away. In the coming weeks and months, I’ll be writing about some of the key moments and events that led up to that action and launched Uruguay’s official period of dictatorship. I’ll highlight the work of amazing scholars who have written on the subject, as well as a few ideas that will be published in my forthcoming book, Of Light and Struggle: Social Justice, Human Rights, and Accountability in Uruguay. Through no planning of my own, that book will also be available in June 2023 (although it is available for pre-order now!)

As a scholar of history, human rights, and transitional justice, I hope to explore the meaning of some of these anniversaries in historical and contemporary context. Thanks for coming along for the ride.