Colombian Movement Research Articles

Politics, power & partnerships: the imperial past and present of international education and development (BAICE presidential address 2022)

ABSTRACT This paper explores the complex relationship between academic researchers working in the area of ‘International Development and Education’ and foreign intervention in the Global South. I make the case for stronger definitional links between ‘colonialism’ and ‘development’. In this, I pay attention to how ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ sides of colonial strategy operated symbiotically and evidence parallel occurrences in Post 9/11 Western-led military/development activities. Drawing on ‘education’ examples, I reflect on our fields entanglements in the messy politics, partnerships and funding regimes of our unequal global order and the ways that we, as both researchers and practitioners, become ‘implicated’. I also explore sites of counter-hegemony that span similar timeframes, including my engagements with popular education in social movements in Colombia, and make the case for a radical educational internationalism.

Approaches to armed struggle and political action: a comparative analysis of the FARC and the Zapatistas

The article is a study of the radical movement in Colombia in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) is compared to another revolutionary movement created in Mexico, the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN). Both movements claimed to be public representatives in the areas of social justice and economic equality, but chose different approaches and strategies to achieve their goals. One chose the path of constant violence, while the other chose the path of dialogue and resolution of political and social problems.

Échele Cabeza as a harm reduction project and activist movement in Colombia

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present the results and context of the drug checking service (DCS) performed by the harm reduction project Échele Cabeza (EC) in Colombia. Design/methodology/approach Data from several years are presented with a focus on data from 2021. In 2021, data were derived from 2,339 questionnaires filled out by DCS users and a total of 2,868 drug checking test results from samples collected at the fixed-site service in Bogotá and 30 music festivals in 8 cities nationwide. Findings The tusi phenomenon is gaining strength in Colombia revealing a problem associated with the changing makeup of tusi and, thus, polydrug use. MDMA adulteration and misrepresentations have increased in comparison to 2019. There is an increasing number of people who want to use the DCS in Colombia, which is encouraging but also exposes the limitations of the drug checking methods available to EC. Originality/value This paper offers the first publication of the pioneering drug checking organization EC in Latin America.

The Civil Code of Andrés Bello and the exegetical movement in Colombia

This paper is interested in the reception of the civil code of Andrés Bello in Colombia during the second half of the 19th century and the first decades of the 20th century. Likewise, it relates the above to the emergence of the Colombian exegetical movement, close to –as well as different– from the movement of French commentators on the Civil Code of 1804, a movement that will be called, pejoratively in the 20th century, as “exegesis”. Now, this work is justified by the importance of articulating, due to the potentialities that this allows, the legal history with the comparative law, remembering that both disciplines had common origins. This is so, to understand law historically, it is necessary to understand it as a product of cultures in constant communication, in such a way that comparative analysis, in our view, appears as necessary for history, and vice versa. We hope then that the reader can observe that exegesis, if we may use this word, was not homogeneous throughout the Western Hemisphere, but there are still points in common regarding some of its most important postulates. Understanding this movement happens, we believe, by recognizing the similarities and differences with other previous, concomitant, and subsequent movements.

(Un)making in sustainability transformation beyond capitalism

Theorizations of sustainability transformation have foregrounded the construction (making) of novel socioecological relations; however, they generally have obscured processes of deliberate deconstruction (unmaking) of existing, unsustainable ones. Amidst ever more compelling evidence of the simultaneous unsustainability and continued reproduction of capitalist modernity, it is misguided to assume that transformation can happen by the mere construction of supposed ‘solutions’, be they technological, social or cultural. We rather need to better understand whether and how existing institutions, forms of knowledge, practices, imaginaries, power structures, and human-non-human relations can be deconstructed at the service of sustainability transformation. This paper demonstrates the usefulness of a lens that attends to processes of making and unmaking in sustainability transformations through an analysis of an ongoing sustainability transformation, the territorios campesinos agroalimentarios (TCA) endogenous territorial figure and peasant movement in Colombia. TCA is transforming territory beyond capitalism on the basis of relational ontologies and principles of autonomy, dignity and sufficiency. This paper identifies processes of unmaking of capitalism in the TCA and demonstrates how they are concretely entangled in the construction of post-capitalist realities. This paper sketches a research agenda on sustainability transformation that is sensitive to and theoretically equipped for the analysis of transformation as a multifaceted, multilevel process that entails the deconstruction of capitalist modernity and the construction of post-capitalist realities. Central to this agenda is a plural engagement with theories of social change from across the social sciences and humanities, which have not previously been mobilized for this endeavour.

Building the social health movement in Colombia, 1998-2020

This national case study of Colombia from 1998 to 2020 used document analysis, interviews, and participant observation to describe the complex process of shaping a social movement that struggles for health. Theoretically, the study adopts a relational perspective that links the focus of the political dispute and the constructivist view to understand the constitution of the social health movement and its relationship to the processes of shaping health policy. The article is structured on framing the consolidation of the neoliberal development model and the structural reform in health during a period of domestic armed struggle and political contention established between the sectors defending the reform and those that reject it and demand a change that guarantees the right to health. The article proceeds to identify and analyze five periods of dispute, each characterized by changes that deepened the market model in health, with the reconfiguration of actors, repertoires for action, and internal tensions that have persisted over time. The conclusions are that this collective actor's identity addresses health as a fundamental human right and that given the heterogeneity of actors and demands, it has been difficult to consolidate an articulated platform of struggle that can reverse the market reforms. In addition, given the link between health and social determinants, it appears insufficient to demand universal health systems, thus requiring the expansion of the platform of struggle.

The Colombian Constitutional Court from a Prodemocratic Reading

This article has four parts. The first one shows the reception of the “Countermajoritarian Difficulty” (CMD) in Colombia, it is to say, how the tension between judges an democracy,a constitutional topic created by Alexander Bickel in America, was received. The second part explains the answer that constitutional judges in Colombia gave to the tension with thedemocratic principle by promoting dialogical rulings. The third one describes, in a general way, the LGTBI movement in Colombia and dialogues it generated in the Constitutional Court to achieve the protection of their rights against majorities. Finally, in the fourth part, some jurisprudence lines of the Colombian Court are shown to demonstrate how it promotes, collaborates, and aids democracy when this is not granted by the representatives.

Right-wing populism and the mainstreaming of protests: The case of Colombia

Unlike other Latin American countries, Colombia has consistently been governed by centre-right or right-wing political parties. The absence of political space for the Left in this country allowed governments to portray protests as subversive and criminal. However, starting in 2008, right-wing politicians have embraced, supported and used the protest as a tactic; undertaking, calling for, and giving support to various protest movements across the country. This has had an unexpected consequence: right-wing parties, government institutions, and even some sectors within the security and armed forces now see protests as valid and normal. Drawing on a brief historical analysis of protest movements in Colombia since 1948, and particularly after 2002, this article argues that to understand the recent normalization of this form of political expression we should look at changes in the dynamics of competition within the Right.

The role of indigenous activists in the creation and development of the communist movement in Colombia since 1930

The role of indigenous activists in the creation and development of the communist movement in Colombia since 1930

Otra investigación social es posible. Desde la colaboración entre investigadores y movimientos Sociales

The article presents an overview of the relationships between higher education institutions, researchers, and social movements in Colombia. Based on a periodisation of the different modes of alignments or gaps between these 3 social actors, the study focuses on two significant experiences of collaborative research between researchers and social movements. First, an experience with peasant movements from the Atlantic Coast led by Orlando Fals Borda from La Rosca Foundation in the 1970s, and which originated Participatory Action Research. Then, a project conducted by the Subjects and New Narratives in Research and Teaching of the Social Sciences research group at the Universidad Pedagógica Nacional focused on the systematisation of practices with popular organisations and their inputs to the field of critialc research. Finally, a balance of the current situation of joint research between social movements and collectives of researchers linked to higher education institutions is presented.

Úloha diskurzivních jednání v kolumbijském konfliktu

One of the longest conflicts in Latin-American history ended in 2016 when then Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos signed a peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the largest guerrilla movement in Colombia. His predecessor, the current senator Álvaro Uribe, opposed the peace agreement, believing that an offensive against the guerrillas was the right approach. This article shows how these two Colombian presidents framed guerillas and what strategies and expressions were used in their presidential speeches. The main argument is that the conciliatory discourse of President Santos helped to finally achieve peace. The research paper uses a comparative method and the concept of framing.

‘We will always be street’

I have learned much about the limits and transformative potential of the street, la calle, as a site of struggle from and with radical organizations fighting against state violence in the urban global South. In this essay, I draw from these experiences as I continue to accompany various street-level social movements in Colombia and Uganda. I draw attention to the street as a site where state violence is enacted in tangible forms across scales. I illustrate, through discussion of a particular mural project in Bogotá, the way the state exerts its power and presence in society as pitted against the image of the urban poor. I urge scholars of street-level social movements and state violence to continue to look at this space of antagonism between the street and the state as a productive analytical space for radical geography and social movement scholarship, while keeping in mind the illustrated tensions. Additionally, in future work, I suggest we take a closer look at the class contrasts in street-level justice-seeking; the street, as a political space of encounter, between people propelled by the emotive forces of indignation and rage in mass acts of justice-seeking and those propelled by the structural forces of inequality and violence.

Empathy at Knifepoint: The Dangers of Research and Lite Pedagogies for Social Justice Movements

AbstractIn this paper, I discuss the ways I have fallen short as a participatory geographer and activist both in my teaching and research practices. I use three critical moments in the development of our PAR collective in Colombia to push debates in geography on participatory research and pedagogy further through reflection on my struggles in the streets and in the university. Additionally, I connect these experiences and previous discussions in participatory geographies with Orlando Fals Borda's discussion of sentipensar (a concept that engages feeling and thinking simultaneously). I draw attention to the Latin American origins of PAR philosophy by placing Fals Borda into dialogue with the protagonists of our social movement in Colombia including human rights activists, homeless drug users and sex workers. In a general sense, this paper is an examination of the challenges I have faced in the contact zones of PAR inside and outside the classroom.

Orígenes Del Trotskismo En Colombia: De Los Colectivos Socialistas Revolucionarios Al Bloque Socialista (1971-1977)

The article reflects on the emergence of a new left movement in Colombia, revolutionary socialism or Trotskyism, from the student movements that occurred in Colombian universities in the seventies of the twentieth century and in the midst of a more general process that was the late emergence of the new left in Colombia, as part of the crisis of the hegemony of the Communist Party and Stalinism at the international level.

Analysis of domestic animal movements in Colombia (2006-2014) and their possible influence on the bovine brucellosis spread.

Bovine brucellosis is a zoonotic disease that causes great economic losses. The disease is endemic in Colombia and animal movements from infected herds carry a risk of introduction to other herds. With the objective of analyzing the animal movements and determining their relationship with bovine brucellosis, we performed a descriptive analysis of the space-time movement of livestock in Colombia between 2006 and 2014. Multiple linear regression models (MLR) were employed to determine the relationship between brucellosis status and animal movements at the province level. The prevalence of bovine brucellosis in cattle was the dependent variable, and a total of 14 independent variables related to location, year, census, and animal movements were included. The prevalence of bovine brucellosis was significantly affected by the province (F = 3.42; P < 0.001), the year (F = 9.03; P < 0.001), and bovine (F = 5.45; P = 0.02) and equine movements (F = 3.8; P = 0.053). Fewer cattle and more horses entered provinces with high prevalence than those with low prevalence, indicating the possible relationship between the animal movements and the brucellosis infection in the country.

Una mirada a las políticas estatales para la inclusión y diversidad cultural en la educación superior

El presente artículo pretende hacer un recorrido por las políticas del estado colombiano, que respaldan el desarrollo social y cultural de la población de ascendencia Afro, que se encuentra en el país. Esta reflexión se hace desde una mirada crítica reconociendo que la mera existencia de la norma no garantiza los procesos de inclusión y dignificación, que está presente en el espíritu de la norma. Sin embargo, no se niega que la creación de dichas políticas ha permitido un empoderamiento de esta población y mayores oportunidades de participación y reconocimiento social.&#x0D; Se ha hecho un recorrido por las políticas que hacen referencia, especialmente al ámbito de la educación superior, a través de una mirada histórica de los movimientos afrodescendientes en Colombia, reconociendo que éste ha sido producto de las necesidades sentidas de este colectivo.&#x0D; En esta revisión se han tenido en cuenta los tratados internacionales, reconocimientos, decretos, leyes, entre otros; que configuran el marco jurídico de la participación social, económica y cultural en general, de los afros en Colombia.&#x0D; El panorama normativo se compara con la realidad en términos del bienestar, la pobreza, la salud y la educación de esta población; para terminar, concluyendo cuál ha sido el verdadero aporte de las políticas en el desarrollo de los afrocolombianos, en particular en la Educación Superior.

Generación del movimiento estudiantil en Colombia. 1910-1924

El objeto de este trabajo se enfoca en analizar dos líderes estudiantiles, que vivieron el periodo del centenario de la independencia americana, pero a su vez les correspondió la época del movimiento estudiantil colombiano y la incidencia del de Córdoba en esta región latinoamericana. Nos referimos a Luis López de Mesa, (1884-1967) generación del centenario, y Germán Arciniegas (1900-1999) generación de los nuevos. El periodo histórico se toma de 1910 a 1924 que corresponde a primer y segundo Congreso estudiantil colombiano. Desde la historia política, se analizará a estos dos líderes estudiantiles que luego ocuparon el ministerio de educación, bajo gobiernos liberales. Se caracterizaron por la docencia universitaria, aportes en el periodismo y nuevos planteamientos de reforma hacia la universidad colombiana. Son dos figuras que se estudiaran desde la concepción que tenían sobre la educación, la universidad y sus propuestas universitarias desde la mirada de los movimientos estudiantiles y en especial lo que llegó del Movimiento de Córdoba a Colombia. La metodología se establece desde la comparada sustentada principalmente en fuentes primarias.

Un siglo del Manifiesto Liminar: acción política y rebeldía en Defensa de la Universidad colombiana

El objetivo de este artículo de reflexión es analizar el impacto que tiene el Manifiesto Liminar en el accionar político y social de los movimientos sociales universitarios en Colombia. Los estudiantes universitarios utilizan un relato en el cual proponen la rebeldía como el espíritu aglutinante y lo que justifica sus acciones colectivas, esta visión compartida por los jóvenes de Córdoba indica una conexión entre ambas. Este artículo es derivado de un proyecto de investigación que usa una metodología cualitativa con enfoque interpretativo, el cual triangula fuentes primarias como la prensa con entrevistas semiestructuradas y balances historiográficos. Por último, sostiene que la “identidad” generada en medio de la rebeldía y las acciones colectivas en las décadas de 1960 y 1970 sufre una transformación en la década de 1980 hasta llegar al punto máximo de su languidez, cuando el mismo discurso de la revolución es adaptado por el sistema en medio de las reformas neoliberales.

Televisión y movimientos sociales: el papel de Contravía TV en la visibilidad de las comunidades indígenas en Colombia

El objetivo del artículo es reflexionar sobre la televisión como mediación en la visibilidad de los movimientos sociales indígenas en Colombia. En este medio adquieren forma los conflictos de esos movimientos con el Estado cuando sus demandas por reconocimiento social y político evidencian discursos e imaginarios de exclusión de la diversidad cultural del país. Analizamos un episodio del programa de televisión Contravía TV para indagar por su propuesta de periodismo independiente, sus estrategias de comunicabilidad que se expresan en el reportaje, produciendo representaciones de las políticas culturales de los indígenas Nasa, traducidas en la defensa del territorio y en la afirmación de su identidad.

Territory, Autonomy, and the Good Life: Afro-Colombian and Indigenous Ethno-Territorial Movements in Colombia's Peace Process

Territory, Autonomy, and the Good Life: Afro-Colombian and Indigenous Ethno-Territorial Movements in Colombia's Peace Process