Exile and Postexile in Analytical Perspective
This chapter explains the logic of the selection of Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and Paraguay as the focus of analysis on exile, diaspora, and return, indicating the puzzling divergence of their paths from authoritarian rule into democratization. Against the background of regional closeness and cooperation, cycles of authoritarian dictatorships, and varied workings of democracy, we explore the role of key intellectual and political figures affecting the distinctive paths of the new and restored democracies. The chapter also positions this work as maintaining an analytical/theoretical and empirical dialogue with several interrelated corpuses of research in the humanities and social sciences; namely, the chapter addresses issues dealing with exile, expatriation, and forced migration; diaspora and transnationalism; processes of political transition, transitional justice, and cultural transformation; and the construction and reconstruction of collective identities, including hybrid identities. Finally, the chapter provides readers with a road map to the remaining chapters of the book.