New Books Network – Academic Life

Episode Title: The Power of the State: Madres de la Plaza de Mayo, and Minneapolis
Host: Dr. Christina Gessler
Guest: Dr. Laura Tedesco
Published: February 12, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode explores the enduring power of civilian resistance against authoritarianism by reflecting on Argentina’s Madres de la Plaza de Mayo and drawing parallels to recent government actions in the United States. Dr. Laura Tedesco, a political scientist and author of "How Government Killings and Kidnappings in Argentina Drove Mothers to Resist and Revolt and Eventually Won," discusses her research, personal experience under the Argentine dictatorship, and the transformative force of the Madres’ activism. The conversation connects historical Argentine state repression to present-day issues of state violence and the global challenges faced by democracy.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Dr. Laura Tedesco’s Background & Motivation

• Tedesco’s firsthand experience with Argentina’s military dictatorship shaped her scholarly pursuits (00:47).
  • Studied political science during and after the dictatorship (1976–1983).
  • Left Argentina in 1991 to pursue a PhD in the UK, later settling in Madrid.
• Her early research focused on international relations and was influenced by post-Falklands/Malvinas War diplomatic efforts (02:17).

Defining Authoritarianism

• Authoritarian regimes, as per Tedesco, are marked by:
  • Lack of elections, free speech, press freedom, and independent legislative processes (04:32).
  • In 1970s–80s Latin America, many such regimes were military juntas, fundamentally different from liberal democracies.
  • "The most important thing is that they reduce your rights." (04:32, Dr. Tedesco)

Historical Parallels: Argentina & the U.S.

• Tedesco recalls how images of ICE raids in Minneapolis (January 2026) evoked personal memories of state repression in Argentina (06:02).

  • Recounts daily fear: military stopping civilians, demanding papers, arbitrary detentions.
  • Witnessing state violence against citizens, both then and now, as "the face of the state, the one that basically dominates what citizens can do and what they cannot do." (07:49, Dr. Tedesco)

• Concerns about state actions violating international law, given government sovereignty limits enforcement of rights (09:00).

The "Disappeared": State Violence in Argentina

• During the dictatorship, roughly 30,000 people were "forcibly disappeared;" subsequent research places the number closer to 10,000, but the higher figure remains a powerful symbol (22:51, 23:46).

  • Victims were mostly youth: labor organizers, students, left-wing political activists, and also clergy (liberation theologians) (11:20, 14:44).
  • The military justified repression in Cold War anti-communist terms, often using the same unlawful force as their adversaries: "they were doing exactly what the others, the terrorist groups... were doing... to kill without using legality." (13:31, Dr. Tedesco)

• Even priests and nuns—especially those advocating for social justice through liberation theology—were targeted because they "were giving power to the poorest of the poor," and perceived as subversive (15:53).

The Emergence and Power of the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo

• First organized in April 1977 by mothers searching for their disappeared children, forced to walk in circles (rather than gather) in Buenos Aires' Plaza de Mayo to sidestep public assembly bans (19:24–19:46).
  • "So they started to walk around the square... the police would then tell them to leave… if you are walking in a square." (19:46, Dr. Tedesco)
  • The group’s persistence shed light on state atrocities: "We started to get to know what was happening, mainly because of the mothers." (21:11, Dr. Tedesco)

Atrocities Uncovered: Torture & Death Flights

• Details of systematic torture, illegal detention, and "death flights" (victims sedated then thrown alive from aircraft into the River Plate) only became widely known after the return of democracy (23:46).
  • Testimonies from survivors and even perpetrators (such as a Navy member who confessed) filled in a horrific picture.
  • "The crime was horrific, even if it was 10 people. Right. Because that was the state... just because their ideology was different." (26:32, Dr. Tedesco)

Seeking Accountability: Nunca Más and Justice

• Argentina’s return to democracy in 1983 led to the formation of a commission (CONADEP) that compiled testimonies and published "Nunca Más" ("Never Again"), the country's best-selling book (28:20).
  • This report, and subsequent trials broadcast on national TV, forced Argentine society to confront the regime’s brutality, from torture to the systematic kidnapping of children (28:20–32:30).
  • Efforts to identify remains and locate stolen children led to Argentina becoming a pioneer in forensic DNA testing.

Repression and Dissent

• The dictatorship ran smear campaigns against the Madres, labeling and mocking them to minimize their credibility and discourage public support (32:50, 33:52).
  • Some mothers themselves were "disappeared."
  • Open support for the Madres was rare; "everybody was afraid in Argentina." (33:52, Dr. Tedesco)
  • Media control and propaganda further isolated dissenters, e.g., France and President Jimmy Carter’s calls for human rights were dismissed or demonized at home (36:29, 37:04).

International Solidarity

• Global attention sustained the Madres’ movement:
  • Human rights organizations, foreign journalists, and religious institutions legitimized their struggle and put pressure on the junta.
  • "France was a very important supporter...and Jimmy Carter... putting quite a lot of pressure on the military dictatorships." (37:04, Dr. Tedesco)

Building Democracy: Resistance and Accountability

• The Madres’ activism was instrumental in building Argentinian democracy, directly contributing to the conviction of military leaders for crimes against humanity (38:49–39:59).
  • Despite efforts to depoliticize their activism or suppress their symbols (white headscarves), the Madres’ moral authority prevailed:
    • "They were very strong because they knew that they were right, that the state has the justice system, the police, the armed forces, they have a lot of legal instruments… And they didn't do it, they did it illegally." (40:29, Dr. Tedesco)
  • Their courage gradually shifted social attitudes, showing that "there is no democracy if there is no justice system." (41:55, Dr. Tedesco)

Lessons for Today: State Power and Civic Vigilance

• Tedesco argues that the state’s power must always be checked. Complacency enables state violence:
  • "Because one day it's against somebody that we don't know... but if it happens to your neighbor, it can happen to you." (46:26, Dr. Tedesco)
  • Stress on the role of the judiciary, legislative, NGOs, political parties in overseeing the state (46:26–48:41).
  • The responsibility to maintain and defend liberal democracy is collective.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the nature of authoritarianism:

  • "There are no elections, there is no freedom of speech... the most important thing is that they reduce your rights."
    (04:32 – Dr. Tedesco)

• On witnessing state violence (U.S. and Argentina):

  • "You see the state repression, you see that face of the state, the one that basically dominates what citizens can do and what they cannot do."
    (07:49 – Dr. Tedesco)

• On international law and sovereignty:

  • "The state is sovereign... you can't pick and choose what you want as a state because of the principle of nonintervention."
    (09:00 – Dr. Tedesco)

• On discovering the scale of atrocities:

  • "We started to get to know what was happening, mainly because of the mothers."
    (21:11 – Dr. Tedesco)

• On death flights:

  • "They put them in helicopters or planes, they gave them some strong pills for them to be sleepy, and they throw them out... alive."
    (23:46 – Dr. Tedesco)

• On the Madres’ refusal to abandon their symbols:

  • "When... the justice system asked them that they have to take out this white thing that they have in the head... they refused. They refused."
    (40:29 – Dr. Tedesco)

• On why defending democracy matters:

  • "If it happens to your neighbor, it can happen to you... we need to be aware that the power of the state has to be controlled."
    (46:26 – Dr. Tedesco)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:47: Dr. Tedesco’s background & path to political science
• 04:32: Definition and characteristics of authoritarian regimes
• 06:02: Memories of state violence in Argentina and parallels to ICE actions in Minnesota
• 11:20: The nature of the “disappeared,” and who was targeted
• 15:53: Liberation theology and why clergy were also targets
• 19:24: The Madres de la Plaza de Mayo first gather
• 23:46: Torture and the “death flights”
• 28:20: The "Nunca Más" report and the justice process post-dictatorship
• 32:50: Dictatorship smear campaigns and repression of dissent
• 37:04: International solidarity and its impact
• 38:49: Madres’ activism and social transformation
• 46:26: Final reflections: why civic vigilance matters

Conclusion

This episode underscores the dangers of unchecked state power and the critical role of civil society in preserving democracy. Dr. Laura Tedesco’s scholarship and vivid recollections bridge traumatic history and contemporary realities, reminding listeners that democracy depends not only on institutions but on ordinary citizens challenging injustice—even—and especially—when it seems most dangerous to do so.