"¡Daniel y Somoza, Son la Misma Cosa!" A Qualitative Research on the Role of Memory and Space in Cross-Generational Resistance to Autocracy in Nicaragua.

In 2018, mass protests in Nicaragua were met with repression and lethal violence by the Ortega government. To many, this resembled the darkest hours of the Somoza dictatorship (1936-1979), comparing or equating both regimes with each other and the struggles against them. This PhD project examines the role of memory and space in cross-generational resistance to autocracy in Nicaragua. Scholars in the fields of autocratization have conducted little systematic research on cross-generational aspects within long-term resistance to system(s) of autocracy, nor on the consequences these may bring forth regarding activists' political outlooks and/or strategies. To fill this gap, this project will engage with and expand upon Cultural Studies and Memory Studies to unravel the role of memory and space in the (dis)continuities in the resistance to two consecutive but distinct autocratic state projects. This project will draw upon the experiences and political outlooks of two generations of Nicaraguan activists and the consequences that elapsed time has upon these. To collect these accounts, it will deploy a combination of ethnographic research tools and historical data collection. From this case study, a critical theoretical framework will emerge that addresses the issue of cross-generational resistance to autocracy, whilst de-centering and de-privileging the state as primary site for political analysis.