Why Study Violence?: Trauma and Survival After the Pinochet Dictatorship

The violence of the Pinochet dictatorship directly affected more than 200,000 people, although their stories of survival are restricted by public silence around this historical period. Inspired by a qualitative, exploratory study of interviews with ex-political prisoners, independently conducted in May 2011, this study connects historical texts on policies of terror with a psychological theory of trauma recovery to empower the survivors of extreme political marginalization