Women, Conflict and Forced Migration: Action, Resistance and Struggle for Recognition and Inclusion

Abstract

There are many open questions concerning relationships between social subjects and armed actors in a context of prolonged violence. The collective actors and the role of autonomous actions are at issue. This situation is even more complex if we focus on a segment of the population: Colombian women, historically, have been excluded and victimized by the war in many ways. Exploring the framework of forced migration in Colombia, this paper analyzes claims made about recognition and inclusion and examines the political strategies that emergent actors are attempting to implement. Women in a war context have developed holistic and empowered ways of resistance to create a space where self-determination is possible. Beyond the struggle for sheer survival, the everyday experience of conflict, interactions among diverse actors and the practices of the resistance show that women have an active role in mobilization and self-organization instead of being merely co-opted or submitted by the armed actors.