Searching for Memory: Aluízio Palmar and the Shadow of Dictatorship in Brazil

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.

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