Participating in Peace: Violence, Development and Dialogue in Colombia (Bristol Shorts Research)

What role does dialogue play in peacebuilding? How can community-based activities contribute to broader peace processes? What can participatory research methods add to local efforts to build peace?

In this book, the authors examine these questions through their work with two different Colombian communities who have pursued dialogue amidst ongoing violence, environmental injustice and socio-economic challenges. By reflecting on what people in these contrasting places have achieved through participatory peacebuilding, the authors explore different forms of local agency, the prospects for non-extractive academic engagement, and practical and theoretical lessons for participating in peace in other conflict-affected settings.

Jefferson Jaramillo-Marín is Professor of the Department of Sociology at Pontifical Javierian University.

Luz Mery López-Lizarazo is the coordinator of Pastoral Social in Popayán (formerly, coordinator of Pastoral Social Tibú) and is a MA student in International Cooperation for Development at the International University of La Rioja.

Adriel Ruiz-Galvan is the director of CORMEPAZ and a doctoral student in the Faculty of Social Sciences at Pontifical Javierian University.

Matthew Louis Bishop is Senior Lecturer in International Politics at the University of Sheffield.

Juan Mario Díaz-Arévalo is Research Fellow in the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Sheffield.