State terror and Human Rights disputes in Argentina: The hidden dimensions

The study of the battle for human rights during last military dictatorship in Argentina has passed through different phases. In the first years of the constitutional government, scholarly interpretations were grounded in social-movement theory, which produced a classic narrative focused on the city of Buenos Aires and its surroundings. Later, other studies appeared, which were dedicated to variations inside and the outside the nation state. Finally, new topics and problems concerning the 'Human Rights' Movement' arose. Nevertheless, the centrality of the notion of a 'new activism' and the fixation on some specific social agents have hampered the emergence of other themes. The present text discusses three issues that have not been adequately addressed: the role of the Peronist and Marxist left in the formation of human rights groups; the activity of Christian groups; and the possibility of identifying a political culture linked to social class.