Memory and Re-founding: Political Identity in Néstor Kirchner's Malvinas speeches

Abstract

In this article we will analyse a series of speeches commemorating the Malvinas War, delivered by Néstor Kirchner during his presidency. Using the theoretical framework of Speech Analysis, we will observe how a re-foundational spirit and the construction of a collective memory intersect in these speeches in a special way. In contrast with other pronouncements by the Argentine leader, his attempts to commemorate Malvinas do not lean on generational traits identified with the 1970s and militancy; the intention here is to extol a respect for the institutions of the state while mobilising traditional ideas regarding the correspondence between nation and territory. We will show that from these axes Kirchner delineates a collective identity understood in terms of political belonging to the nation, re-signifying the Malvinas question as a matter of social inclusion. We will also see how the notion of “internal exile” links the figure of the Malvinas veteran to a Kirchnerist spirit of national re-foundation. For this analysis we will work with a corpus formed by speeches paying homage to Malvinas war veterans, delivered by Néstor Kirchner every 2 April, during his time in office (2003–2007).