HIJOS of "Resistance" in the Government. Identity(ies), Community(ies) and Militancy of the Daughters and Sons of Victims of State Terrorism in Argentina under Kirchnerism

Abstract

Almost four decades have passed since the end of the last military dictatorship in Argentina and its marks still linger in society, shaping the politics of the present. The human rights organizations’ fight demanding “memory, truth and justice” for the crimes committed at that time has not lost relevance. On the contrary, new activist generations continue arriving. In the mid-1990s, the daughters and sons of the victims (“hijxs”) burst onto the public scene with H.I.J.O.S. organization, achieving a marked prominence among the political youths of that time. Throughout the political cycles, the militancy of the “hijxs” took on different formats, renewing their repertoires of action and political strategies. This led some of them to occupy political positions in the government and the National Congress from 2007 onwards. This article proposes to approach the militant careers of these “hijxs” from their individual and collective dimensions, exploring their networks of political insertion, their identity configurations, the capitals acquired and mobilized throughout their careers. At the same time, it explores the process of social legitimation that the “hijxs” have undergone during the Kirchner years (2003-2015) and its effects on the political field.