27th Annual Student Research Conference
Filling a Void: Women's Resistance to Pinochet in Chile
Calie M. Holden
Dr. Thomas Zoumaras, Faculty Mentor
The Cold War engulfed many small countries throughout the world, including Chile. The U.S. helped the military overthrow President Salvador Allende in 1973 and install General Augusto Pinochet. While the events of the coup, and the international involvement therein, have undergone extensive study, the resistance movements to Pinochet are still ripe for research. During and after the coup political opponents to the junta were rounded up and detained, or disappeared. This left a political vacuum that could not be filled by traditional politicians. The primary opponents of the military regime were a network of ecclesiastic and humanitarian groups. Women, many family members of the disappeared or detained, made up a large part of these groups. Throughout Pinochet's rule, and through democratization afterward, a political realignment took place. When Chile reemerged as a democratic nation, women had not only helped to topple Pinochet's authoritarian regime, but also undercut traditional patriarchal dominance.
Keywords: Women, Pinochet, Chile, Disappeared , Resistance Movements
Topic(s):History Senior Seminar
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 101-3
Location: MG 2001
Time: 8:30