Dr. Adriana Alas López, Postdoctoral Scholar, Faculty of Information and Media Studies, Western University
I started working with the Salvadoran Civil War survivors in 2006. I worked documenting human rights violations during the Salvadoran Civil War and knowledge exchanges with victims of human rights violations in Central and South America, particularly the victims of children kidnapped during wars and dictatorial regimes.
Working with survivors taught me fundamental lessons about peace, reconciliation, postwar dilemmas, and reconciliation inconsistencies. All these became part of my Ph.D. dissertation in Social Anthropology, “The value of insurgent memories. Intergenerational tensions over memories in post-war El Salvador,” at El Colegio de Michoacán in 2021.
My research has been built upon solid ties with rural communities and grassroots movements. Currently, I work with a bottom-up research approach, so my research is based on the needs of the communities through the lens of gender and intergenerational exchanges. My postdoctoral approach at Western University is as a researcher and program builder.
Research
My research focuses on the implications of polarized war memories (between the historical right and left) for reconciliation efforts in repopulated communities in northeast Chalatenango, El Salvador. For my PhD dissertation, I worked with different communities’ sectors and populations, such as youth, former insurgents, women, refugees, war wounded, resettlers, and community natives before the Salvadoran Civil War (1980-1992).
As a postdoctoral scholar, I design collaborative methodologies and fieldwork directions for Salvadorean community members’ educational and research projects to amplify all the community’s voices.
I am working on six community books addressing the transition from war to peace, organizational memories of Chalatenango, violence and repression during the war from the Salvadorean government and the guerrilla forces, stories about resilience and survival from adult people in Chalatenango, and the popular history of El Higueral community. I am also developing research-creating projects with several rural communities, committed scholars, an intercommunity youth committee, and women’s associations in Chalatenango; these projects include short films, newsletters, art installations, photovoice magazines, and photo exhibitions.
As a program builder, I facilitate constant communication between the Western University team, international researchers, students, Salvadorean partners, and local coordinators to develop research initiatives driven by the community following the guiding principles of the Surviving Memory in Postwar El Salvador project.
Some of my publications can be found here: