Abstract

THEIDON, Kimberly  and  BETANCOURT, Paola Andrea. Conflictive transition: demobilized fighters in Colombia. anal.polit. [online]. 2006, vol.19, n.58, pp.92-111. ISSN 0121-4705.

Ex-combatants and the communities that receive them are the key interlocutors in this anthropological investigation of the demobilization and reinsertion process. The Colombian case is of great interest because the government is attempting to implement mechanisms of reparations and reconciliation in a "pre post-conflict" context. The goal os this study is to capture the complex regional realities in order to have these complexities inform a successful peace process. The concepts these demobilized combatants have regarding peace and justice are striking, and a state presence in zones formerly under the control of armed actors is a pressing necessity. In Colombia, televised demobilizations with their spectacular qualities will not be sufficient. Nor is it enough to count the number of demobilized fighters. While not wishing to questions the sincerity of these events, we do not that without careful consideration of the social processes that must accompany these rituals, the collective demobilizations run the risk of being mere elements of statecraft, lacking social resonance.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )