The Memory of Resistance: Historicity and Remembrance in a Colombian Peace Community

Abstract

Peace Communities are a prominent example of the non-violent resistance practised by the rural population in the context of armed conflict in Colombia. Drawing on field research in the Peace Community of San Jose de Apartado, this article uncovers the diverse aspects of remembrance and its impact on the agency of a peasant community strongly affected by the armed conflict. Highlighting the importance of historicity, it explains the socio-historical development of the village and the high grade of self-organizational experience of its residents that gave rise to the Peace Community. Further, an examination of the Community's ideas, goals and strategies guides the analysis of practices of communal memory. It will be shown that remembrance in the Peace Community is not only about remembering the past but also the conscious reconstruction of the past in the face of present and future violence. It will be posited that in the Colombian conflict, the ability of a rural community to reconstruct its own communal history is key to maintaining social cohesion and keeping non-violent resistance alive.