An approach to the appropriation of minors and irregular adoptions under the military dictatorship in southern Chile. Alejandro’s memoir

Abstract

This article follows a series of studies on memoirs regarding various types of social violence perpetrated under the military dictatorship in Chile. We want to approach, from a life story, the problem of illegal child appropriations occurred under the dictatorial institutional framework, made possible by the use of power on popular sectors.

This work is the advance of a major investigation, on minors' appropriations and international adoptions of irregular character developed during the military dictatorship in Chile. The investigation’s working methodology is linked to oral history. Hence, testimony is central to addressing the problem, together with the analysis of documentation associated with juvenile cases.