Reunion: Finding the Disappeared Children of El Salvador

Reunion is an ethnography that tells the stories of families who were forcibly separated during El Salvador's civil war and the challenges they faced in reuniting. It was written by a medical student named Elizabeth Barnert, who worked with Jesuit priest Father Jon Cortina and other activists to build a DNA bank for reuniting families. The book includes firsthand accounts from survivors and activists and highlights the cycles of poverty and violence that drive immigration and ongoing separations around the world. All book royalties will be donated to Pro-Búsqueda and related causes.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 370 pages
Publication date: 07 February 2023
Publisher: University of California Press

This captivating ethnography delves into the profound and enduring impact of forced family separations and the eventual reunions that took place in communities affected by El Salvador's civil war. In 2005, medical student Elizabeth Barnert embarked on a mission to El Salvador, driven by the urgent need to establish a DNA bank for reuniting families torn apart by the conflict. Drawing upon fifteen years of extensive interviews and field notes, Reunion vividly chronicles the experiences of families who faced military attacks, the disappearance of children, family separations, joyous reunions, and the challenging processes of reintegration. Barnert collaborated closely with Jesuit priest Father Jon Cortina, former guerrilla fighters, and reformed gang members, lending her expertise to the project. Told through the voices of activists and survivors, the book accompanies young adult children on their quest to find their biological kin, including a young woman who returns to El Salvador after twenty years of being adopted abroad to meet her mother and brother. This groundbreaking ethnography sheds light on the cyclical patterns of poverty and violence that drive immigration and ongoing separations around the world. Reunion also features a foreword by renowned anthropologist Philippe Bourgois, who shares his personal account of fleeing a devastating military scorched-earth operation in El Salvador. The book includes never-before-published photos and children's drawings from the war, providing a poignant and intimate glimpse into the lives of those affected by the conflict. Furthermore, all book royalties of Reunion will be donated by the author to Pro-Búsqueda and related causes, furthering the efforts to support and rebuild communities impacted by the civil war.

Weight: 492g
Dimension: 152 x 229 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780520386150