Abstract

CESPEDES R, Roberto L. Calendars for Building Memory-Identity. The Case of «Decidamos» (2003-2012) from Paraguay. Rev. Int. Investig. Cienc. Soc. [online]. 2012, vol.8, n.1, pp.43-61. ISSN 2226-4000.

Memorable dates of the yearly calendars of «Decidamos» (Let´s Decide, non official translation), a Paraguayan NGO, throghtout 2003-2013 reflect a civic and critical orientation aimed at building or strenghtening a specific memory-identity. Those dates include new meanings (Girls and Boys Day), tensions between a national remembrance and a global one (Day of the Paraguayan Woman and International Women’s Day) as well as national incorporation of international dates (1 May). The number of memorable dates grew from 12 in 2003 to 29 in 2012. Their appealings are targeted on a) remembering to repeat exemplary behaviours such as “the week of civic dignity” (1999) or to avoid events or processess by asserting the liberator’s coup against the dictatorship on 2 and 3 february (1989); b) incorporating the subalterns, invisible or underestimated actors such as disabled people or indigeneous people; and c) proposing principles for a new order by swearing obedience to the (new) Constitution (1992) or tolerance or food sovereignty. By the same token, as time goes by, international or global commemorations predominated over national ones, this is, globalization of the local conciousness or internalization of valued and memorable dates in the Paraguayan civic conciousness

Keywords : Paraguay; calendars; memory; commemorations; politics.

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