on the left suffered persecution throughout the 20th century in Brazil, and highlighting the experience of these minorities in an institution that claims to be homogeneously right-wing is important to foster a more plural memory policy.
This is the premise of the collection “To the Left of the Brazilian Armed Forces: Life Stories of Persecuted Military Personnel and Political Amnestied”, which will be launched this Saturday (30), at Alpharrabio Livraria, in Santo André (SP).
The collection has five books that deal, in addition to other topics, with the history of famous and unknown left-wing soldiers, which tell researchers about the process of resistance inside and outside the .
According to historian Andrea Paula Kamensky, who organizes the collection, the idea is to circulate the narrative about these minorities, as opposed to an official discourse that highlights high-ranking right-wing figures.
She cites the absence of extensive and systematized documents about characters who were in opposition. It also says that, although institutions normally have an official discourse about themselves without nuances, they are usually marked by plurality.
“Studying these minorities is important because, by doing so, we are able to analyze the conflicts within these institutions”, he states.
The books talk about the trajectory of the military during the 20th century. According to the historian, the Armed Forces were once more plural in Brazil, with soldiers on the left. “It means saying that they were legalists, democrats and socialists, not just communists.”
From the 1930s onwards, however, anti-communism increased and the persecution of those who were not on the right intensified. This was intensified with the military coup of 1964, when they were tortured or punished.
The collection talks about some of these figures who resisted the hegemonic position, such as Brigadier Rui Barbosa Moreira Lima, who died in 2013, aged 94.
He was a hero of and opposed the . According to Kamensky, he was anti-Nazifascist and a democrat. “It would be very difficult to expel or kill a person like that. [Por causa da oposição ao regime]was retired early.”
Lima was arrested three times and kidnapped during the dictatorship. Furthermore, he was the first soldier to give testimony to the CNV (National Truth Commission), in 2012, motivating studies on the partners persecuted by the regime.
According to the historian, talking about this is important to encourage discussion about a more plural memory and the importance of changing military training.
“Several institutions organize national memory, such as education. It, inside and outside the Armed Forces, reinforces a national memory through what is celebrated, monuments and study materials”, says Kamensky, pointing out that, to this day, this education imparts an anti-communist perspective to the military.
The collection is available for free download.
