The Construction of the global language of human rights in post dictatorial Chile: An analysis of the local representation of the Letelier case

Abstract

This article analyzes the local representation of the so-called Letelier case in the 1970s and 1990s and its significant changes in the public discourse. The attack on Orlando Letelier in Washington had a high public repercussion due to its international character, which made possible relevant changes in Chile. The aim of this paper is to understand how this emblematic case contributed to the shaping and consolidation of the global language of human rights in Chile. Through a discourse analysis of media publications and secondary literature on this case, the results show that these discourses had an intermestic character, on the one hand, influencing global and local scenarios and eroding the moral foundations of the dictatorship, and on the other, a pedagogical
capacity that allowed the narration of a cultural memory of the atrocity. Thus, marking a break in the representation of recent history, which favored the development of public sentiments of recognition of the victims of the dictatorship in Chilean society.