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| Format: | Recurso digital |
| Language: | English |
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2025
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15397198 |
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| author | Cifuentes, Greis Steffany |
| author_facet | Cifuentes, Greis Steffany |
| contents | <p>Recent research on arts and culture has shown that artistic and cultural practices are a trigger<br>for social transformations towards peacebuilding (Lederach, 2005; Liebmann, 1996; LeBaron,<br>2011). Colombia is ending a fifty-year-long conflict, and an opportunity exists for arts and<br>culture to play an essential role in rebuilding memory, social relations, community, bringing<br>people together, raising awareness about past suffering and promoting healing.<br>This thesis explores the role that arts and cultural interventions can play in the aftermath of the<br>Colombian conflict, and the opportunities and limitations of applying arts-based practices in<br>communities dealing with its legacy. Notably, this thesis is intended to assist and inform<br>policymakers and those making funding decisions of the social impact of arts and culture,<br>providing a review of theoretical debates alongside evidence of current arts and cultural<br>programmes that are taking place in Colombia.<br>In order to examine the role of arts and cultural interventions in peacebuilding efforts, two<br>specific research questions guide the study: i) what role do arts and cultural initiatives play in<br>facilitating social cohesion and community rebuilding in communities dealing with the legacy<br>of the Colombian conflict? and ii) what design and delivery models are most effective in<br>producing beneficial peacebuilding outcomes through arts and culture? Utilising interpretative<br>phenomenological analysis (IPA), along with participant observation of two arts and cultural<br>projects in Colombia (Casa Kolacho in Medellín, and Sensory Expedition in Montes de María),<br>this study illustrates how these interventions can address and ameliorate the effects of conflict<br>on people in different geographical settings. The findings of this study demonstrate that<br>collective cultural activities can further promote the building of social capital, providing<br>opportunities for people to interact and strength social networks that facilitate mutual<br>understanding and dialogue, and can also encourage a sense of belonging and place identity<br>that contributes to long term peacebuilding process. However, the study also reveals the need<br>to develop evaluation and impact studies to measure the peacebuilding outcomes of arts-based<br>and cultural projects, in order to strengthen their case for funding. I demonstrate that there are<br>a range of conditions that are essential for constructive conflict resolution: the establishment<br>of a culture of peace, based on respectful relationships, and the development of collective<br>cultural practices, which must be set according to the context and local reality of the area of<br>conflict. The study concludes by arguing that paying greater attention to cultural grassroots initiatives<br>and participatory art offers a hitherto largely untapped opportunity for peacebuilding.<br>Nevertheless, any decisions with regard to its deployment will inevitably depend on the<br>interaction between the policymakers and the communities affected by the armed conflict.</p> |
| format | Recurso digital |
| id | zenodo_https___doi_org_10_5281_zenodo_15397198 |
| institution | Zenodo |
| language | eng |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publisher | Zenodo |
| record_format | zenodo |
| spellingShingle | The role of arts and culture in the Colombian peacebuilding process Cifuentes, Greis Steffany <p>Recent research on arts and culture has shown that artistic and cultural practices are a trigger<br>for social transformations towards peacebuilding (Lederach, 2005; Liebmann, 1996; LeBaron,<br>2011). Colombia is ending a fifty-year-long conflict, and an opportunity exists for arts and<br>culture to play an essential role in rebuilding memory, social relations, community, bringing<br>people together, raising awareness about past suffering and promoting healing.<br>This thesis explores the role that arts and cultural interventions can play in the aftermath of the<br>Colombian conflict, and the opportunities and limitations of applying arts-based practices in<br>communities dealing with its legacy. Notably, this thesis is intended to assist and inform<br>policymakers and those making funding decisions of the social impact of arts and culture,<br>providing a review of theoretical debates alongside evidence of current arts and cultural<br>programmes that are taking place in Colombia.<br>In order to examine the role of arts and cultural interventions in peacebuilding efforts, two<br>specific research questions guide the study: i) what role do arts and cultural initiatives play in<br>facilitating social cohesion and community rebuilding in communities dealing with the legacy<br>of the Colombian conflict? and ii) what design and delivery models are most effective in<br>producing beneficial peacebuilding outcomes through arts and culture? Utilising interpretative<br>phenomenological analysis (IPA), along with participant observation of two arts and cultural<br>projects in Colombia (Casa Kolacho in Medellín, and Sensory Expedition in Montes de María),<br>this study illustrates how these interventions can address and ameliorate the effects of conflict<br>on people in different geographical settings. The findings of this study demonstrate that<br>collective cultural activities can further promote the building of social capital, providing<br>opportunities for people to interact and strength social networks that facilitate mutual<br>understanding and dialogue, and can also encourage a sense of belonging and place identity<br>that contributes to long term peacebuilding process. However, the study also reveals the need<br>to develop evaluation and impact studies to measure the peacebuilding outcomes of arts-based<br>and cultural projects, in order to strengthen their case for funding. I demonstrate that there are<br>a range of conditions that are essential for constructive conflict resolution: the establishment<br>of a culture of peace, based on respectful relationships, and the development of collective<br>cultural practices, which must be set according to the context and local reality of the area of<br>conflict. The study concludes by arguing that paying greater attention to cultural grassroots initiatives<br>and participatory art offers a hitherto largely untapped opportunity for peacebuilding.<br>Nevertheless, any decisions with regard to its deployment will inevitably depend on the<br>interaction between the policymakers and the communities affected by the armed conflict.</p> |
| title | The role of arts and culture in the Colombian peacebuilding process |
| url | https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15397198 |