My name is Agnes Effland and I am a master student of Latin American Area Studies at the University of Cologne.

My master thesis deals with two social movements, the Madres de Plaza de Mayo (Argentina) and the Curmatesi Anneleri (Saturday Mothers, Turkey) in a comparative and transfer oriented way.

I already did fieldwork in Turkey and am very grateful for the research funding of the thematic network “Remapping the Global South” to be able to do field research in Argentina as well.

I interviewed activists of the movement “Madres and Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo”, the protagonists of my investigations. During the interviews and the research I found out about other cooperations besides those of the Argentinian and the Turkish mother organizations themselves, so the initial question of the thesis was broadened and I used the following weeks to deepen this part of the research as well.

I visited numerous libraries, some of which were specialized in topics relevant for my thesis (the post-dictatorship era, coming to terms with the past, collective memory and social movements).

Taking part in the international workshop of the IDAES (Instituto de Altos Estudios Sociales/ Universidad de San Martín) on Social Movements in Latin America further enriched my stay, serving as a space of exchange and inspiration and being the starting point for valuable contacts.