Yael Siman – författare

Victim Activists in Mexico: Social and Political Mobilization amid Extreme Violence and Disappearances examines the collective action of the courageous family members of the disappeared in the midst of Mexico’s ongoing humanitarian crisis over the last decades. Yael Siman and Matthew Hone analyze this grassroots mobilization and argue that the activists have created rutinary, contentious, and innovative types of resistance through building local and trans-local links of support and solidarity that reinforce their struggle. This mobilization from below has contributed to constructing transitional justice including laws, public apologies, and memorials. The combination of internal and external factors impacting the collectives and their environment has enabled significant changes in the institutions, state responses, and the victimhood narratives in the country. This book adds to the scholarship on the collective action of grieving families by focusing on both the social and political aspects of mobilization.

This book explores the history of the Holocaust in relation to Latin America. It is estimated that about 100,000 Jewish refugees immigrated to the region between 1933 and 1945. Despite the critical role Latin America played in sheltering Jewish refugees from Nazism, the region has remained largely on the margins of Holocaust studies. The volume adopts a global perspective, examining the Holocaust’s connections to Latin America, both as a region and as a mosaic of distinct national contexts. Structured around three key themes —migration, settlement, and memory— the book not only addresses the immigration policies of Latin American governments but also amplifies the experiences and voices of Jewish survivors who found refuge in this culturally diverse region.