The narratives of toponymy in the Site of Memory "Venda Sexy – Discoteque”: discourses and contexts in present-day Chile

Authors

  • Vania Reyes Muñoz Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile; Asociación de Geógrafas Feministas de Chile
  • Yafza Reyes Muñoz Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia

Abstract

Text argues that the toponymy recorded at the Site of Memory "La Discoteque-Venda Sexy" alludes to a literal representation of the naturalization of torture during the Chilean civil-military dictatorship, particularly sexual violence against women. This narrative is a contextual construction from the process of feminist articulation of recent years in Chile and becomes more evident after the police violence unleashed against those who were part of the demonstrations that occurred during the social movement of October 2019, where again women and girls were subjected to torture, degrading treatment and sexual violence. The text, which analyses the toponymy of the word: discotheque, bandage and sexy. Also, evidences the relevance of the State in the maintenance of memory and discusses the role of citizenship and the collectives of survivors of political horror in the conservation and possession, material and symbolic, of the sites of memory.

Keywords:

Political violence, torture, Site of Memory