ABSTRACT
Artists are not the “usual suspects” one looks to when discussing civil society under authoritarian regimes. Drawing on Negash (2004), the chapter postulates that artists play an important role in these societies and the aim of this study is to present evidence of their role and their creations in two different contexts. The argument is that through an examination of the relationship between art and politics in Romania and Chile during the dictatorships of Ceauşescu (1965–1989) and Pinochet (1973–1990), we can better understand not only the internal mechanisms of dictatorial power but also engage in the analysis of a new locus where to study civil society in authoritarian settings.
