Unveiling authoritarian repression of insurgency in José Ricardo Morales’ play Los culpables

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21142/DES-1703-2025-%25p

Keywords:

José Ricardo Morales, Los culpables, authoritarian practices, repressive cultural rhetorics, Chilean politics

Abstract

This article offers a critical analysis and discussion of José Ricardo Morales’ play Los culpables (1964), which may encourage critical reflection on Chile’s political reality concerning the repression of anti-authoritarian movements. The study aims to demonstrate the relevance of Morales’ play in contemporary Chile. This play serves as a case study to explore the playwright’s ideas regarding the repressive and authoritarian practices employed by a military government against citizens labeled insurgents, ultimately aiding in the examination of the Chilean context. Since this play represents various historical events linked to authoritarianism, particularly World War II and Francoism, we argue that it foreshadows the implementation of authoritarian practices by the state in Chilean society, including the state’s criminalization of protesters, insurgents, and anti-authoritarian movements in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as the criminalization of social movements during the recent 2019 Social Outbreak civil protests. 

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Author Biographies

  • Juan Del Valle Rojas, Universidad Católica de Temuco. Temuco, Chile

    Director del Departamento de Lenguas (Facultad de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades) de la Universidad Católica de Temuco (Chile). Sus líneas de investigación se centran en los estudios de la comunicación, el discurso y el poder en contextos de manipulación mediática y propaganda y el análisis del discurso en los medios de comunicación impresos y digitales desde un enfoque interdisciplinario, particularmente el análisis crítico del discurso. 

  • Pablo Valdivia Martin, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen. Groningen, Países Bajos

    Catedrático de European Culture and Literature de la Rijksuniversiteit Groningen (Países Bajos) e investigador asociado de Física Aplicada de la Harvard Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (Harvard University). Sus líneas de investigación se centran en las humanidades, la lectura de la ciencia, la analítica cultural y la tecnología, así como las nociones de cultura, literatura y crisis desde una perspectiva interdisciplinaria transnacional.

  • Konstantin Mierau, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen. Groningen, Países Bajos

    Vicedecano de la Faculty of Arts y Associate Professor de European Culture and Literature (Spanish) en la Chair of European Culture and Literature de la Rijksuniversiteit Groningen (Países Bajos). Sus líneas de investigación se enfocan en la relación entre los grupos marginales y las representaciones literarias y en la representación cultural de la marginalidad utilizando un enfoque interdisciplinario.

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Published

2025-08-29

How to Cite

Unveiling authoritarian repression of insurgency in José Ricardo Morales’ play Los culpables. (2025). Desde El Sur, 17(3), e0048. https://doi.org/10.21142/DES-1703-2025-%p

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