The narrative of a transformative leader : neoliberal memory politics and the reframing of Augusto Pinochet in Chile

Urbina Montana, Maria L. (author)

The paper explores how General Augusto Pinochet’s death in 2006 catalysed a shift in the collective memory of Chile, reframing him as a transformative leader who modernised the nation with neoliberal reforms. Rather than pursuing systematic empirical analysis, the paper adopts a conceptual approach that draws on Basil Bernstein’s theory of recontextualisation and Mark Fisher’s concept of capitalist realism to examine the contribution made by media narratives to this reframing. Through thematic analysis of cross-platform cultural texts, including news coverage and the films The Death of Pinochet and El Conde, it is argued that these narratives strategically separate economic success from political repression, marginalising working-class memory and reinforcing neoliberal hegemony. The Chilean case is situated within broader global memory politics, with a comparative reference made to Margaret Thatcher’s legacy in the United Kingdom. By highlighting the ideological work performed by historical narratives, the paper contributes to debates on memory, neoliberalism, and the erasure of resistance in post-authoritarian societies.

• Language: English
• Keywords: Autusto Pinochet, transformative leader, memory, cross platform discourse, capitalist realistm
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Geographic coverage: Čile
• Organization: FDV - Faculty of Social Sciences
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Publication date: 01.12.2025
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: Str. 121-143
• Numbering: Letn. 41, št. 108/109
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-177143
• UDC: 94(83)"1973/1989"
• ISSN on article: 0352-3608
• DOI: 10.51936/dr.41.108-109.121-143
• COBISS.SI-ID: 260689155
• Publication date in RUL: 16.12.2025

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Družboslovne razprave
• Shortened title: Družbosl. razpr.
• Publisher: Slovensko sociološko društvo, Fakulteta za družbene vede
• ISSN: 0352-3608
• COBISS.SI-ID: 7530242

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Neoliberalna politika spomina in preoblikovanje podobe Augusta Pinocheta v Čilu

Abstract

Članek raziskuje, kako je smrt generala Augusta Pinocheta leta 2006 oznanila spremembe v kolektivnem spominu Čila. Pinochet je v uradnem spominu postal lik transformativnega voditelja, ki je moderniziral državo z neoliberalnimi reformami. Namesto empirične analize članek uporablja konceptualni pristop, ki črpa iz Bernsteinove teorije rekontekstualizacije in Fisherjevega koncepta kapitalističnega realizma, zato da precizneje preuči, kako so medijski narativi prispevali k tovrstnemu preoblikovanju spomina. Skozi tematsko analizo medplatformnih kulturnih besedil – vključno z novicami in filmi Smrt Pinocheta in El Conde – avtorica ugotavlja, da ti narativi strateško ločijo gospodarski uspeh od političnega zatiranja, marginalizirajo spomin delavskega razreda in krepijo neoliberalno hegemonijo. Čilski primer je umeščen v širšo globalno politiko spomina, s primerjalno analizo na zapuščino Margaret Thatcher v Združenem kraljestvu. S poudarjanjem ideološkega dela zgodovinskih narativov članek prispeva k razpravam o spominu, neoliberalizmu in izbrisu upora v postavtoritarnih družbah

• Keywords: Augusto Pinochet, transformativni voditelj, spomin, medplatformski diskurz, kapitalistični realizem