This book proposes the existence of a recognizably distinct Holocaust consciousness in Latin America since the 1970s. Community leaders, intellectuals, writers, and political activists facing state repression have seen themselves reflected in Holocaust histories and have used Holocaust terms to describe human rights atrocities in their own countries. In so doing, they have developed a unique, controversial approach to the memory of the Holocaust that is little known outside the region. Estelle Tarica deepens our understanding of Holocaust awareness in a global context by examining diverse Jewish and non-Jewish voices, focusing on Argentina, Mexico, and Guatemala. What happens, she asks, when we find the Holocaust invoked in unexpected places and in relation to other events, such as the Argentine "Dirty War" or the Mayan genocide in Guatemala? The book draws on meticulous research in two areas that have rarely been brought into contact-Holocaust Studies and Latin American Studies-and aims to illuminate the topic for readers who may be new to the fields.

AcknowledgmentsIntroduction: The "Latin Americanization" of the Holocaust1. The Demands of the Times: Jewish Holocaust Discourse in Dictatorship and Early-Transition Argentina, 1976-19852. Holocaust Consciousness as Critical Consciousness in Post-dictatorship Argentina, 1995-20053. José Emilio Pacheco, Tununa Mercado, and Holocaust Testimony at the Mexico-Argentina Crossroads4. Demetrio Cojtí Cuxil's "Maya Holocaust": Victims and Vanquished in Post-genocide Guatemala5. Holocaust Testimony and Maya Testimony between the U.S. and GuatemalaConclusionNotesBibliographyIndex