Los rostros de la solidaridad. Historia Oral y Vida Cotidiana. El discurso existencial de los exiliados chilenos en México y María Esther Zuno de Echeverría

Abstract

Objective: To identify characteristics of the discourse related to solidarity with Chileans exiled in Mexico after the coup d’état against President Salvador Allende in 1973. The relevance of the asylum policy of the Mexican government and the solidarity position of Maria Esther Zuno, who facilitated the adaptation process of the Chilean exiles in Mexico are studied as well.

Methodology: Qualitative approach with documentary records about the exiles of the seventies and the characteristics of the asylum policy of Mexico . The oral history methodology, particularly testimonies and stories of Chileans, were used for discourse analysis and meanings reconstruction of those who arrived in Mexico. Discourse analysis was based on the categories stated by Daniel Prieto Castillo (indication, exhortation, explanation, and valuation) and linked to personal situations experienced by exiles and their entry into Mexico.

Results: The incorporation of Chileans exiles into the Mexican society, after the coup d’état against Augusto Pinochet in Chile, was favored by the asylum policy of the Mexican government and the exercise of the de facto power of Mary Esther Zuno. The newmeaning of the testimonies emphasized the explanation and valuation of two noted historical crises: one institutional (asylum policy of Mexico) and one personal (de facto power policy of Ms. Zuno).

Conclusions: There was a discourse of solidarity with the Chileans along with the asylum policy of Mexico. The asylum policy of Mexico based on the Conventions of La Habana (1928), Montevideo (1933) and Caracas (1954), to which Mexico was signatory, was a key issue in the Chileans exiles entry into Mexico.