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Making a stand for memory and place. The role of social leaders in the defense of the territory in the Putumayo (Colombia) and the implications of the violence against them

Samper, Juan Antonio LU (2021) In Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science MESM02 20211
LUCSUS (Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies)
Abstract
Five years into the present peacebuilding cycle in Colombia, violence is increasing again. In the Putumayo department, social-ecological conflicts between the state, armed groups and local communities persist. Social leaders, often representing local communities, are targets of violent actions and represent an extremely vulnerable group. In the Putumayo, at least 67 social leaders defending human and indigenous rights, their community’s territory and the environment have been murdered since 2016. Via an ethnographic study I inquire what the defense of the territory is, who these social leaders are, their role in the defense of the territory, and the implications of these social leaders being silenced. I find that social leaders play key... (More)
Five years into the present peacebuilding cycle in Colombia, violence is increasing again. In the Putumayo department, social-ecological conflicts between the state, armed groups and local communities persist. Social leaders, often representing local communities, are targets of violent actions and represent an extremely vulnerable group. In the Putumayo, at least 67 social leaders defending human and indigenous rights, their community’s territory and the environment have been murdered since 2016. Via an ethnographic study I inquire what the defense of the territory is, who these social leaders are, their role in the defense of the territory, and the implications of these social leaders being silenced. I find that social leaders play key roles in both the discourse and practice of defending the territory. The silencing of social leaders is interpreted as the production of oblivion and detachment. This erasure of local communities from time and space places them back into a position of invisibility and historical irrelevance, jeopardizing the goal of a stable and durable peace. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Samper, Juan Antonio LU
supervisor
organization
course
MESM02 20211
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Social leaders, territory, environment, peace-building, sustainability science, Colombia
publication/series
Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science
report number
2021:034
language
English
id
9048107
date added to LUP
2021-06-04 09:20:58
date last changed
2021-06-04 09:20:58
@misc{9048107,
  abstract     = {{Five years into the present peacebuilding cycle in Colombia, violence is increasing again. In the Putumayo department, social-ecological conflicts between the state, armed groups and local communities persist. Social leaders, often representing local communities, are targets of violent actions and represent an extremely vulnerable group. In the Putumayo, at least 67 social leaders defending human and indigenous rights, their community’s territory and the environment have been murdered since 2016. Via an ethnographic study I inquire what the defense of the territory is, who these social leaders are, their role in the defense of the territory, and the implications of these social leaders being silenced. I find that social leaders play key roles in both the discourse and practice of defending the territory. The silencing of social leaders is interpreted as the production of oblivion and detachment. This erasure of local communities from time and space places them back into a position of invisibility and historical irrelevance, jeopardizing the goal of a stable and durable peace.}},
  author       = {{Samper, Juan Antonio}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  series       = {{Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science}},
  title        = {{Making a stand for memory and place. The role of social leaders in the defense of the territory in the Putumayo (Colombia) and the implications of the violence against them}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}