LOS GUARDIANES DE LA MEMORIA DEL PADRE DE LA PATRIA: USOS POLÍTICOS DE SAN MARTÍN EN LA HISTORIA ARGENTINA RECIENTE.

This work aims to propose a discussion on a classic problem: using the past to legitimize power; in other words, the relationship between history, politics and memory. In order to analyze this problem, our attention will be focused on a single figure: San Martín, regarded as father of the Fatherland, and who was sought in all historical periods and by actors from different ideological tendencies; and in one institution in particular, which occupied a privileged place in managing the memory of the utmost hero: the San Martín National Institute. In this text, we will analyze, comparatively, the place occupied by the aforementioned institution during two periods: the latest military dictatorship in Argentina, 1976-1983; and the so-called "transition to democracy". Specifically, we will consider the reassignments of the leader's images due to the established political projects: the "National Reorganization Process" in the first case, and the reestablishment of democracy in the other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]