Reencountering Our Humanity

: Reincorporation and the (Re)Construction of Identities of Former FARC-EP Members in Colombia

Abstract

Signing the 2016 Peace Agreement with the Colombian State marked the start of a new chapter for the former guerrilla group, the FARC-EP. An important aspect has been the reincorporation process, innovative for its collective emphasis on reintegration within a broader framework of societal transformation and reform. Existing literature tends to focus on either the political or the economic and social aspects of reintegration, often as an individualised process constructed by DDR frameworks. Through the lens of identities, I argue for a shift in analysis and approach to reintegration, characterised by a more holistic understanding of it as a relational and long-term process. Drawing on time spent with former FARC-EP members and encounters undertaken in 2019, I expose the fuzzy boundaries between individuals, communities and their identities, and the gaps created by a compartmentalised tripartite political-economic-social reintegration model, which jeopardise the long-term success of such a complex transformation. Neglecting constructive relationship-building that goes beyond the checklist of services and benefits to be provided, risks producing limited popular support, unsustainable productive projects and isolation from society and broader initiatives. Collective success is found to be inextricably linked to reconciling these dimensions and putting relational aspects at the centre of these complex transitions. The individuals involved and ‘calidad humana’ of leaders help new stories to be told that redefine where we belong and allow for the humanity of the ‘other’ and ourselves to be reencountered.

Date of Award	5 Dec 2023
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bristol
Supervisor	Ana E Juncos (Supervisor) & Peter Manning (Supervisor)