Memoryscapes of liberation

Activist mnemonic labour in the queer press

Bibliographic Data

ID18953818
AuthorsDaniele Salerno (0000-0002-8556-1055, Institute for Cultural Inquiry, Utrecht University, corresponding author)
Year2025
Volume39
Issue1
Pages115-141
Publication date2025-01-02
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCultural Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0950-2386 • E-ISSN: 1466-4348
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/09502386.2023.2274077
OpenAlexW4388135620
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited31

In this article, I will explore the role of memory in the context of homosexual liberation movements.I will do this through the lens of the queer press, which will serve as a doorway for the exploration of activist mnemonic labour.Activists undertake mnemonic labour to craft narratives that weave together historical oppression and resistance with hopes for a better future.These narratives are used to motivate and sustain activists in their present struggles.The queer press helps spread narratives across borders and creates shared memoryscapes for activism.My proposal is to view memoryscapes as schemata that inform activist mnemonic labour.On one hand, memoryscapes offer a shared purpose and direction for activists spread across different countries.On the other hand, they serve as arenas for mediation and comparison, linking distinct histories from diverse social groups and revealing their shared threads.This turns memory into a resource for building alliances across borders, and among different political and social groups.I will adopt this perspective to study two Argentinian homosexual liberation groups from the 1960s-70s: Nuestro Mundo and Frente de Liberacin Homosexual (FLH).I will explore activist mnemonic labour on Nuestro Mundo's bulletins and the FLH's periodicals: Homosexuales and Somos.I will focus on two main aspects: (1) how activists adapt transnational narratives to the local context, and (2) how Argentinian activists weave narratives that blend historical oppression and resistance with visions of a different future

Art · Literature · Media studies · Mnemonic · Narrative · Oppression · Political science · Politics · Queer · Sociology · Gender Studies · History · Latin American and Latino Studies · Law · Memory, violence, and history · Politics and Society in Latin America · Psychology