{"product_id":"the-argentine-silent-majority-middle-classes-and-memory","title":"The Argentine Silent Majority: Middle Classes and Memory","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn this review of The Argentine Silent Majority, the reviewer finds a focused, interview-driven study best suited to readers seeking a nuanced social history of Argentina in the late 1960s and 1970s. Sebastian Carassai concentrates on the experiences and memories of middle-class non-activists, drawing on two hundred interviews across three distinct locales to illuminate why much of Argentine society remained aloof or complicit during turbulent years. The book's single biggest reason to buy is its sustained attention to ordinary voices, which expands understanding of the period beyond activists and victims to the broader \u003cstrong\u003emiddle-class perspective\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eKey Features\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eExtensive interviews:\u003c\/strong\u003e The book uses interviews with 200 people to provide a wide range of firsthand recollections and attitudes from the era.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFocused social lens:\u003c\/strong\u003e Carassai foregrounds middle-class culture and politics, offering readers a targeted view distinct from works centered on activists or state terror.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThree-site comparison:\u003c\/strong\u003e By interviewing people in Buenos Aires, Tucuman, and Correa, the author captures local variations in memory and political behavior.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMixed respondent pool:\u003c\/strong\u003e The sample includes non-activists as well as journalists, politicians, scholars, and artists, enriching contextual understanding.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMemory and ideology analysis:\u003c\/strong\u003e The narrative links recollection to underlying ideologies, helping readers see how ordinary attitudes shaped public life in the 1970s.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch2\u003eWho It's For\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis book is for readers of \u003cstrong\u003eArgentine history\u003c\/strong\u003e, social historians, and students who want a bottom-up view of political culture in the late 1960s and 1970s. Scholars interested in memory studies or comparative regional experiences will find the three-site approach valuable.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt is less suited for readers seeking a comprehensive chronicle of political violence or a blow-by-blow account of state terror; those needs are better met by works focused primarily on activists, human-rights litigation, or institutional histories rather than memory-focused interviews.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003ePros \u0026amp; Cons\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePros\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOffers a distinctive focus on the \u003cstrong\u003emiddle classes\u003c\/strong\u003e, filling a gap in literature centered on activists and victims.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe 200 interviews provide breadth and variety of voices that ground the analysis in lived experience.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eComparing Buenos Aires, Tucuman, and Correa highlights important local contrasts in political memory and behavior.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCons\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003eThe emphasis on non-activists means readers seeking a detailed account of organized political violence will need complementary sources.\u003c\/li\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch2\u003eSpecifications\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eTitle\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eThe Argentine Silent Majority: Middle Classes, Politics, Violence, and Memory in the Seventies\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eAuthor\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSebastian Carassai\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePrimary focus\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMiddle-class culture and politics in late 1960s-1970s Argentina\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMethod\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eInterviews with 200 respondents\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eInterview sites\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBuenos Aires, Tucuman, Correa\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eRespondent types\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMostly non-activists, plus journalists, politicians, scholars, artists\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\u003ch2\u003eOur Verdict\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eCarassai's book is a well-crafted, interview-rich study that expands the field by centering ordinary middle-class voices; it is recommended for readers who want a social-history angle on Argentina's troubled 1970s and good value for those seeking memory-based analysis rather than operational histories of violence.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eFrequently Asked Questions\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDoes the book rely on primary interviews?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYes. Carassai conducted interviews with 200 people to form the core evidence for the study.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhich locations are covered?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe author collected memories from Buenos Aires, Tucuman, and the small town of Correa to capture local differences.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs this a political violence chronicle?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNo. The emphasis is on middle-class memory and ideology rather than a detailed chronological account of state violence.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sebastian Carassai","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48248964251867,"sku":"0822355965","price":125.64,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0724\/1043\/1707\/files\/81QYIQWJrsL._SL1500.jpg?v=1770842373","url":"https:\/\/gearmusthave.com\/products\/the-argentine-silent-majority-middle-classes-and-memory","provider":"GearMustHave","version":"1.0","type":"link"}