Abstract

ALAS LOPEZ, Adriana. The Testimonies of War-Wounded People from El Salvador. A Local Regime of Suffering, State Standardization, and Lies. Rev. colomb. antropol. [online]. 2024, vol.60, n.1, pp.103-125.  Epub Jan 01, 2024. ISSN 0486-6525.  https://doi.org/10.22380/2539472x.2578.

This article reflects on the testimonies of people wounded during the Salvadoran civil war (1980-1992). Testimony is understood as a performative act. In the community of Los Pinos, a local regime of suffering is established. It grants prestige and status among the population based on their testimonies of struggle during the war. At the same time, in the community rumors circulate that some former insurgents or war survivors certified as war-wounded have lied about their scars to the institution in charge of the War-Wounded Law. Based on the theoretical proposal of John Austin and Jacques Derrida’s conception of testimony, I analyze the felicity conditions in which public servants and sympathizers of the revolutionary imaginary believe the performance of the testimony, and the implications that lies would have or has had on its credibility before both audiences.

Keywords : anthropology; performative; testimony; El Salvador; public servant; war wounded.

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