Searching for Memory - by Jacob Blanc

About the Book

"This biography of Brazilian journalist and activist Aluâizio Ferreira Palmar (b. 1943) tells the remarkable story of a revolutionary who, after surviving torture as a political prisoner during his country's military dictatorship in the 1960s and 1970s, would go on to devote his life to recovering the memory and documenting the evidence of human rights abuses in Brazil. Palmar's recounting of his life, in personal interviews with Jacob Blanc as well as from a wide array of source materials, offers a valuable window into how former activists view their place in history. In this context, Blanc initiates the concept of 'memory scripts,' which illustrates how scripting and performing a memory can serve as an act of perseverance and power, important for individuals and communities seeking both to heal from and redefine trauma for future activism. Blanc's book is a singular contribution to literature on dictatorship in Brazil and across Latin America by exploring not only what happened under military rule but also the contested channels through which the memories of these intense and often traumatic events have been sustained, shaped, and retold"--Provided by publishe

Book Synopsis

This biography of Brazilian journalist and activist Aluízio Palmar (b. 1943) tells the remarkable story of a revolutionary who, after surviving torture as a political prisoner during his country's military dictatorship in the 1960s and 1970s, would devote the second half of his life to investigating human rights abuses. With an eye to the intricacies of how Palmar has narrated his life across interviews, writings, and public engagement, Blanc offers an innovative window into how former activists view their place in history.

Searching for Memory is a singular contribution to literature on dictatorship, memory, and oral history. It does more than just recount Palmar's life story. It is also a story about stories: how Palmar has told his own life history, why he has transformed his most traumatic memories into a public narrative, and the meanings of memory in the shadow of dictatorship.

Review Quotes

"A truly unique text, Searching for Memory creatively follows the life history of Alúzio Palmar, a revolutionary involved in the armed resistance to the Brazilian military dictatorship (1964-85), and his subsequent activities as a journalist and human rights activist dedicated to preserving and retelling the story of the authoritarian regime. Relying largely on Palmar's own understanding of his past, along with deftly using other oral histories along with personal and official archives, this micro-history offers a valuable contribution to our growing understanding of the multiple ways that dedicated militants resisted the dictatorship and fought for memory and justice upon the return to democracy."--James N. Green, author of Exile within Exiles: Herbert Daniel, Gay Brazilian Revolutionary

"An expansive biography . . . Jacob Blanc's collaborative book reconstructs the life of human rights activist and former militant Aluízio Palmar. . . . Searching for Memory delves into why and how memories become stories, exploring the power those stories possess."--Foreword Reviews

"Blanc has delivered a work that is at once informative, engaging, self-reflective, and insightful--as well as a delight to read. It contributes to our understanding of the history of the dictatorship and its continued legacy, both critically important for interpreting Brazil today."
--Victoria Langland, author of Speaking of Flowers: Student Movements and the Making and Remembering of 1968 in Military Brazil

"Blanc's remarkable biography of Aluízio Palmar, an armed insurgent who was arrested, tortured, and exiled by the military regime, makes a unique contribution to a substantial corpus of works that bear witness to this history. Blanc also draws our attention to the messy, revelatory, and ultimately political act of remembering trauma."--Christopher Dunn, author of Contracultura: Alternative Arts and Social Transformation in Authoritarian Brazil

"Brazil is notorious for its failure to officially reckon with the legacy of violence and impunity left by the military dictatorship, leaving it to victims, human rights activists, journalists, and historians to document and denounce state crimes. Jacob Blanc's remarkable biography of Aluízio Palmar, an armed insurgent who was arrested, tortured, and exiled by the regime, makes a unique contribution to a substantial corpus of works that bear witness to this history. In recounting Palmar's story, based on extensive interviews and archival research, Blanc also theorizes the process of self-narration, which he calls "memory scripts," which draws our attention to the messy, revelatory, and ultimately political act remembering trauma." -- Christopher Dunn, author of Contracultura: Alternative Arts and Social Transformation in Authoritarian Brazil

"I'm grateful to have read Searching for Memory both for the story it tells--of Aluízio Palmar, of the Foz borderlands, of state repression in Brazil and resistance to it--and for the example it offers of a creative, collaborative, transnational writing methodology. I recommend it to everyone interested in memory and transitional justice, Brazil past and present, and collaborative forms of writing."--Yara Rodrigues Fowler, novelist, author of There Are More Things

"Relying largely on Palmar's own understanding of his past, as well as deftly using other oral histories and personal and official archives, this microhistory offers a valuable contribution to our growing understanding of the multiple ways that dedicated militants resisted the dictatorship and fought for memory and justice upon the return to democracy ."--James N. Green, author of Exile within Exiles: Herbert Daniel, Gay Brazilian Revolutionary

"The opening paragraph of Searching for Memory brings the startling news that in 2019 Aluízio Palmar was sued by the retired army office who had once tortured him. . . . [Of] great interest."--The Prisma

About the Author

Jacob Blanc is associate professor of history and international development studies at McGill University.