The role of Transformative Action Research in territorial peace building: Insights for New Area Studies

Iokine Rodriguez; Cristina Sala Valdes; Nohora Isabel Barros Navarro; John Jairo Uribe Sarmiento; Maria del Pilar Salamanca; Santiago Andrés Padilla Quintero; Teresa Armijos

doi:10.37975/NAS.89

The role of Transformative Action Research in territorial peace building: Insights for New Area Studies

Iokine Rodriguez, Cristina Sala Valdes, Nohora Isabel Barros Navarro, John Jairo Uribe Sarmiento, Maria del Pilar Salamanca, Santiago Andrés Padilla Quintero, Teresa Armijos

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

War and peace have been extensively researched in Colombia over the past decades. However, little is said about the role that research can play as a driver of change in the transition from war to peace when research is carried out with those who have been part of the dynamics of the conflict or have found themselves in the middle of the crossfire. In this article, we discuss the experience of the "School, Territory and Post-Conflict: Grounding a Local Peace Culture in South Tolima, Colombia" project working with eight community organisations between 2018 and 2022 studying their experiences building peace during the armed conflict between the Revolution Armed Force of Colombia (FARC) and the Colombian government, and after the 2016 peace agreement. We discuss the transdisciplinary journey of the project and of transformations we have witnessed as a result with the hope that the lessons learned can inform ongoing discussions about how to widen further the research and methodological frontiers of New Areas Studies and beyond.

Original language	English
Journal	New Area Studies
Volume	5
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.37975/NAS.89
Publication status	Published - 1 Dec 2025

Keywords

transformative action research
bottom-up peace building
resignifying peace
Colombia
Armed Conflict
Territorial Peacebuilding

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.37975/NAS.89Licence: CC BY-ND

Rodriguez_etal_The_role_of_transformative_action_research_in_territorial_peace_building_2025_NAS_FinalFinal published version, 1 MBLicence: CC BY-ND

Cite this

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AU - Uribe Sarmiento, John Jairo

AU - Salamanca, Maria del Pilar

AU - Padilla Quintero, Santiago Andrés

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