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>Surely the magnitude of the body count matters?
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There was a big go-round recently on a Latin American studies list I'm on, with people questioning how and when the body counts matter in comparing Lat Am dictators. One suggestion that arose was that Pinochet wasn't as bad as his Argentine dirty war counterparts, as he killed only 3-8,000, to their 25-35,000. No consensus was reached (the list is full of all types, including former SOA teachers and the like), but for myself I concluded:
1. the numbers are important 2. especially when compared to total popultion in the country, BUT 3. playing the numbers games tells you next to NOTHING about the impact and machinations of terror.
Terror as a tool of rule works on the living; the "dissappearnce" of one person in one context may have a larger impact than the murder of 1000 elsewhere. This must be explained, in full ethnographic detail, and accounted for. Sure, get the numbers for the history books, but look at what the people experienced, and how.
Tom
Tom Kruse / Casilla 5812 / Cochabamba, Bolivia Tel/Fax: (591-42) 48242 Email: tkruse at albatros.cnb.net