A Grammar of Care

Abstract

This article explores how we negotiate the moral character of our relationships with others when engaged in secondary-care practices for those who have been directly involved in war-related violence. It does so by exploring the intersections between applied theatre and arts-based conflict transformation initiatives that take into account the aesthetic and affective dimensions of care within the implementation of Transitional Justice mechanisms. It thus approaches the question of what it means for the self to engage with an ‘other’ who has committed illegal acts within the context of the Colombian armed conflict, and frames this as a Grammar of Care that reflects the collective transformations are necessary for post-conflict transitions. The authors draw on a 3-year applied-theatre collaboration between the University of Warwick, Royal Holloway University of London, and the Colombian Agency for Reincorporation and Normalization (ARN, 2018-2021). The latter is the government organisation that designs and implements public policy on reintegration for adult ex-combatants of guerrilla and paramilitary organisations in Colombia. The collaboration involved a transition from face-to-face fieldwork (2019) to the isolation of the pandemic (2020-21), and examined how the body and embodied engagements with others were shaped by these different work settings in the Colombian context.