| Abstract | This article discusses the social treatment of the assassination of Catholic Archbishop Oscar Romero in El Salvador by an army officer. The differing interpretations of this death by supporters, many of whom also supported the insurgent group Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) and the military are addressed. The place of martyrdom narratives in the national reconciliation process is considered. The religious and political interpretations of government sanctioned murder of religious figures is described in terms of the political culture of El Salvador. The continuing relevance of Romero's martyrdom is framed in terms of the changing role of death in the neoliberal state that emerged from the Salvadorian civil war.
|
