During the last two decades, cultural studies as well as gender studies have focused on the artistic production of civil society during authoritarian regimes in Latin America. From murals to street performances and handmade books sold in the streets, the work of artists has brought a deep awareness of creativity in censored societies. The arpilleras are undoubtedly one of the most striking art forms to emerge during the Pinochet regime.
Jacqueline Adams has written an important contribution to literature concerning the arpilleras of Chile. Her work and her tone are strictly sociological. She provides detailed accounts of the way the arpilleras were made and then exported, narrating their place in the world of the seller and the buyer. Adams also includes oral testimony from the women who made the arpilleras as well as these women's first instructors. Her contribution in this book resides in the clear documentation of the arpillera...
