Dealing with the Past: Conflicting Memories in Joyabaj, Guatemala

Abstract

This article examines the effects that acts of remembrance can have within communities struggling to deal with a violent past. In particular, a focus is given to the municipality of Joyabaj in Guatemala, a country that has emerged from a thirty-six year brutal civil conflict that claimed over 200,000 lives. Joyabaj was hit particularly hard during the armed conflict and, in the aftermath, its residents have found that dealing with their past has been fraught with difficulties. Through an examination of the exhumations of mass graves in the area, the author concludes that remembrance is not necessarily a peaceful option. Indeed, without a feeling of ‘ownership’ at the local level, memory initiatives may create further antagonism within communities.