“Senderistas del montón” and the traps of language in post-conflict Peru in Los rendidos (2015) by José Carlos Agüero

Abstract

This article analyzes the representation of members of the Shining Path in Los rendidos. Sobre el don de perdonar (2015) by José Carlos Agüero. First, I argue that the way in which these subjects are represented in this testimonial-essay problematizes the stereotypes of the dominant cultural memory. Second, I argue that, through that representation and the argumentative strategies employed in the text, this book underlines the “traps of language” and the conventional moral binaries of our post-conflict society. Finally, I conclude that this work leads us to reflect on the limitations of official discourses and emblematic memories about the period of the internal armed conflict in Peru.