Music and political imprisonment in Pinochet’s Chile

SPEAKER: Katia Chornik, University of Cambridge

DATE: 10 April 2026

TIME: 15:30-17:00

​ACTIVITY: CEDLA LECTURE

VENUE: VOX-POP, Binnengasthuisstraat 9, ground floor. 1012 ZA Amsterdam

​​​Over 1,000 political imprisonment and torture centres existed across Chile during the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet (1973–1990). Music was often present in those centres, both as a response to, and in conjunction with, human rights violations. In her new book Music and Political Imprisonment in Pinochet’s Chile (Oxford University Press, 2025), Chornik explores the intersections between music, politics, memory, and human rights, discussing a broad range of music experiences and repertoire, and how these are remembered, preserved, and disseminated decades later. With a prologue by former President of Chile Michelle Bachelet, the book blends archival sources with personal interviews with ex-political prisoners, agents of secret services, and visitors to prisons. In this talk, Chornik will present an overview of the book and two interlinked initiatives: the digital platform Cantos Cautivos (Captive Songs, www.cantoscautivos.org) and an ongoing UNESCO educational project. The talk will share breakthroughs and challenges of her journey, and the reasons why this work matters today.