The Co-Existence of Peace and Violence in the North of Cauca, Colombia : Promoting Peace Amid Conflict as Part of the Everyday

Abstract

In November 2016 the peace agreement between the Colombian government and the FARC guerrillas was signed, thus bringing hope to the country about a negotiated exit to the conflict that it had remained for more than 60 years then. Despite the active participation of conflict-affected communities in the dialogues, and their self-organization initiatives for promoting peace, they have been suffering the most horrible consequences of a historical conflict. In addition, Cauca -one of the regions most affected by the conflict- represents the intersection of different problems and conditions that make it even more difficult for the processes of peacebuilding.

Structural Violence and Everyday Peace approaches were used as theoretical tools to understand how the co-existence of peace and conflict happen to exist in regions like Cauca, Colombia. Through some qualitative interviews made and thematic analysis, this project aims to demonstrate that the word “peace” may be mentioned even in contexts where the communities are living on a constant battlefield, this representing at the same time a risky commitment that sometimes could cost their lives.