Slow Memory and the Disruptive Force of Earthquakes
Tamara Banjeglav
Institute of Culture and Memory Studies, Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (ZRC SAZU), Ljubljana, Slovenia
Sara Helin-Long
PhD, University of College Cork, Cork, Ireland
for Working Group 4
In this working paper, we contend with the potential of earthquakes, as natural disasters, to address and reveal forms of political slow violence in two contexts, Chile and Croatia. In these case studies, we demonstrate how earthquakes as physical disruptions and metaphorical breaks, not only have the potential to call attention to moments of political, human violence, but also to prolonged crises that go beyond temporary interruptions of everyday life. The forms of violence in Chile and Croatia take two forms – political state violence and structural violence – however, we notice similarities in the effective and eruptive force of earthquakes to reveal that which had been dormant, thereby causing irruptions of memories and realities.
Read the full paper here.