The Personal Is Political: Las Madres de Plaza de Mayo

Abstract

Discusses how "Las Madres de Plaza de Mayo," a mothers' organization that emerged in Argentina in 1977 to demand official explanations for their missing children, was transformed into a symbol of resistance. The nature of Argentina's military regime is described, noting that Las Madres was the result of repressive conditions, & public dissent was forbidden when 14 women took their stand in downtown Buenos Aires. Although they had been socialized to be passive/obedient, these mothers refused to quietly accept the loss of their abducted children in the face of being ignored, ridiculed, & persecuted. Their persistence created a bond with women of all classes whose lives had been brutally disrupted when their children "vanished." Las Madres acquired a formal structure in 1979 & joined other organizations concerned with those who had "disappeared." It is maintained that gender was an empowering force in a nation where motherhood was glorified & women were exalted as domestic beings. In addition, a lack of political affiliations allowed the mothers to implement strategies that were new to Argentina, eg, the Thursday marches. 5 References. J. Lindroth