For survivors of state violence memory is alive. The process of remembering is one that is embodied, nourished and injected with life for the violence and mechanisms of silence surrounding them are determined to bury, erase and render them invisible. What does it mean for memory to be alive? How is this done in a context of ongoing silencing? This paper presents the experiences of survivors of state violence from urban and rural contexts in Colombia engaging in memory practices to contest the ongoing violence perpetrated by the military, police and paramilitary groups still operating in the region. This paper is part of a larger ethnographic research project demarcating the social psychological process by which survivors of state violence come to see memory as a tool for healing and justice. The focus of this paper presentation is to highlight the types of memory practices survivors engaged in privately and publicly to not only keep the memories of their loved ones alive but as a way to bring purpose into their own lives. Moreover, this paper situates memory practices in Colombia along with those being carried out by the Movement for Black Lives Matter in the United States, as a way to show the convergence of memory and demands for justice among survivors of state violence across varied geopolitical conditions. This analysis contributes to the global movement for memory by centering the lived experiences of those engaging in memory practices on the ground, highlighting the psychological, historical and sociopolitical context that facilitates or limits the healing possibility of this approach, and its effectiveness as a tool for justice.
