In Chile, during the dictatorship, photographs taken in domestic and intimate settings documented ways of life that the regime sought to render invisible. Many of these images, preserved in family albums or personal collections, became over time testimonies to experiences that remained outside official narratives, even after the return to democracy.
During the dictatorship in Chile, photographs captured in domestic and intimate settings documented everyday lives that the regime actively sought to render invisible. Preserved in family albums and personal collections, these private images became testimonies to experiences that remained outside official narratives, even after the return to democracy.
Today, LGBTQIA+ organizations and activist communities across Latin America are leading efforts to recover, preserve, and share these historical photographic records. By safeguarding archives that have long faced institutional exclusion, pathologization, and criminalization, these initiatives transform private images into vital cultural heritage and powerful tools for collective memory.
From the Trans Memory Archive in Argentina and the Museum of Sexual Diversity in Brazil to the Honduras Cuir initiative in Central America, community-led archives are expanding across Latin America. Despite their vital role in rescuing endangered histories from erasure, a critical research gap remains. Few scholarly studies have examined these diverse memory projects collectively within a broader Latin American and human rights framework.
In this context, Dr. Cynthia Shuffer, a researcher at the Institute for Advanced Studies (IDEA) at the University of Santiago, Chile, is leading the Fondecyt Initiation Project 2026, which seeks to analyze how LGBTQIA+ artists, archives, and organizations have constructed ways to represent and preserve their memories in Latin America.
“I encountered a wide range of experiences from women photographers who had resisted the dictatorship (...) that’s when I realized that a political dimension rooted in feminism could not be overlooked in research like this,” explained Dr. Schuffer.
One of the questions guiding the research is how a photograph created for a private setting can become a heritage document that can circulate in archives, exhibitions, or museums. Many of the collections now preserved by these organizations have been built through the donation of family photographs and personal collections that, over time, take on new collective meanings.
“How does a photo move from the most private and intimate sphere to a very public and visible one? There is a whole discussion and line of reasoning that allows us to consider how photographs intended for private circulation can take on aesthetic, visual, and political relevance in institutions such as museums,” explained Dr. Cynthia Shuffer.
Over its three-year timeline, the study will integrate fieldwork, archive visits, and international academic stays. Beyond scholarly research, the project emphasizes community engagement through knowledge-exchange with LGBTQIA+ activist groups. Findings and preserved visual archives will be shared with a wider audience through seminars, academic publications, and museum exhibitions.
As part of its outcomes, the project also plans to create an open-access digital platform that will bring together the materials and knowledge generated during the research.
“I wanted to start with Central America because we know little or nothing about what is happening in those places. There are very significant initiatives taking place in other regions that also deserve to be known. Many of these groups face complex situations and yet continue to carry out important work related to memory and archiving,” said Dr. Shuffer.
Moving beyond Chile and Argentina, the study will integrate archival initiatives from Brazil, Colombia, and Ecuador to deliver a comprehensive comparative analysis of Latin American memory projects. The project also fosters advanced academic training by involving master’s thesis students and postdoctoral researchers in its fieldwork and analysis.
“I want all the information produced collectively to be available for free and openly accessible. There are small organizations that could benefit enormously from learning about initiatives taking place in other countries and establishing collaborative ties,” she noted.
Ultimately, the project seeks to build lasting international research networks and elevate the cultural, social, and historical heritage value of LGBTQIA+ archives throughout Latin America. “There is a memory that we are forgetting to remember. I am not only interested in reconstructing that history, but also in trying to make an impact in those areas and contribute to the organizations that are currently sustaining this work of memory,” concluded Dr. Cynthia Schuffer.