Cantos Cautivos: Collecting, preserving, and disseminating music histories from political detention centers in Pinochet’s Chile

ONLINE ZOOM MEETING

Over a thousand political detention centers existed in Chile during the dictatorship led by General Augusto Pinochet (1973–1990). Music was commonly present in these places, where thousands were tortured, disappeared, and executed. This presentation focuses on the digital platform Cantos Cautivos (Captive Songs), led and edited by Dr. Katia Chornik, which compiles over 160 testimonies of music activities and music pieces composed, performed, and listened to in thirty-seven compounds. After outlining her broader research on music and memory, Dr. Chornik will discuss the history and technical aspects of the Cantos Cautivos platform, as well as the strategies the team has used to obtain and promote materials and drive engagement. She will provide a broad-brush view of the repertoire and testimony themes, paying particular attention to sources deviating from canonical narratives of political detention. Finally, Dr. Chornik shall reflect on the challenges and opportunities a project such as Cantos Cautivos can generate for digital scholarship.

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