(Un-)Stitching the Subjects of Colombia's Reconciliation Process

This project explores the subjectivities constructed by ex-combatants in the process of disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) in Colombia and how these ex-combatants are, in turn, perceived by other groups in society and specifically in the communities where they now settle. In order to study the transformation of both ex-combatants' self-understandings and outsider perceptions of these, the project employs a qualitative approach that combines narrative biographical interviews with textile narratives. This innovative method consists in the running of textile workshops during which first ex-combatants and then civilian community representatives, individually or collectively, create sewn wall-hangings to express their memories, self-understandings, and hopes for the future. In this approach, oral and textile narratives are not merely data to inform the analysis of ex-combatants' role in the process of reconciliation and social integration in Colombia, but, as a methodological intervention strategy, are intended to actively contribute to this process. A further key component of this methodological strategy are its diverse means for the dissemination of research results. Findings are disseminated not only through the textile workshops, but also through exhibitions at the local, national, and international level and through a digital platform. As a repository and dissemination tool, this platform is planned to be expanded to collect oral and textile narratives of the Colombian conflict produced in other sites in the future.