Engaged ethnography in contexts of armed conflict: lessons from Bellavista - Bojayá - Chocó and Bahía Málaga - Valle del Cauca - Colombia

Authors

  • María Eugenia Velásquez Prestán Centro de Estudios Afrodiaspóricos (CEAF), Universidad Icesi.

    Theologian. Early childhood teacher. She belongs to the group MUREBE (Resistant Women of Bellavista) Community leader Bellavista Bojayá. She has served as leader of the Guayacán Women's Group, a group that promotes the empowerment and economic autonomy of women victims of the armed conflict in Bellavista.

  • Natalia Escobar García

    Anthropologist, Master's degree in Social and Political Studies from the Icesi University. Her interests include studies on territorialities, ethnic identities, inter-ethnic conflicts, ethnography and gender. Professional experience as a researcher and in international cooperation through the development of social development projects in the Colombian Pacific.

  • Aurora Vergara Figueroa Centro de Estudios Afrodiaspóricos (CEAF), Universidad Icesi

    PhD and Master's degree in Sociology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Full-time professor in the Department of Social Studies at Icesi University. Director of the Center for Aphrodiasporic Studies (CEAF) of the Icesi University. She was an advisor to the Residential Agency for Social Action and the Department for Social Prosperity (DPS). Her research interests focus on Race, Ethnicity, Gender, Class and Work; Banishment and Social Movements; African Diaspora Studies; Feminist criticism.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18800/anthropologica.201802.003

Keywords:

Bellavista, Bojayá, Bahía Malaga, Etnografía comprometida, Etnografía activista, Etnografía Colaborativa.

Abstract

In this article, we reflect upon the question of what does it entail to conduct engaged ethnography in contexts of armed conflict. The authors describe their ethnographic experiences in Bellavista - Bojayá - Chocó and Bahía Málaga - Valle del Cauca in Colombia. The authors conclude that engaged ethnography in contexts of armed conflict ought to be collaborative developing long-term relationships with the communities in which we work.

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Published

2018-02-28

How to Cite

Velásquez Prestán, M. E., Escobar García, N., & Vergara Figueroa, A. (2018). Engaged ethnography in contexts of armed conflict: lessons from Bellavista - Bojayá - Chocó and Bahía Málaga - Valle del Cauca - Colombia. Anthropologica Del Departamento De Ciencias Sociales, 36(41), 59–92. https://doi.org/10.18800/anthropologica.201802.003