Identity, memory, and truth in 'Tantas voces, una historia' by Eleonora María Smolensky and Vera Vigevani Jarach

Abstract

This work examines the construction of identity and the assimilation process of Italian immigrant families in Argentina between 1938 and 1948, as presented in "Tantas Voces, una Historia" by Eleonora María Smolensky and Vera Vigevani Jarach (1999). Focusing on Chapter II, "La Adaptación según la Edad: los Testimonios", it analyzes how testimonial narratives, especially those of immigrant children and youth, use memory as a literary tool to influence adaptation to the new country and the formation of the collective identity of Italian Jews in Argentina. We explore the exemplary function of testimony, the relationship between memory and identity, and its role in filling historical gaps. We adapt a methodology of analysis of judgments to former commanders in Argentina to study these testimonies. This analysis highlights the importance of these narratives in preserving collective memory and their contribution to understanding the experience of Italian immigrant families in Argentina.