À la Fariana Feminism? The Continuum of Militancy in Post-peace Agreement Colombia

Abstract

Objective/context: In this article, I propose the concept of continuum of militancy to analyze the transformation of the political struggles of former FARC-EP women guerrilleras in the post-peace agreement, with a particular emphasis on the country’s northeastern region. Based on their narratives, I inquire about the transformation from armed struggle to feminist combat, as well as the tensions and challenges that arise in this path. Methodology: I focus on three particular methods: the feminist fieldwork diary, biographical interviews, and participant observations in two fieldworks conducted in 2019 and 2022 in northeastern Colombia. Conclusions: The article confirms the need to understand post-peace agreement militancy as a continuum between armed struggle and different feminist, women, and gender combats. It also demonstrates the importance of analyzing the militancy of the ex-guerrilleras of the FARC-EP, starting from the insurgent identity. Finally, it concludes that insurgent feminism, despite the political tensions it entails, is a practical example of this continuum of militancy. Originality: The article has three main contributions: it theorizes the conceptual elements of the continuum of militancy; it brings knowledge about the construction of insurgent feminism in northeastern Colombia; and it contributes to the understanding of the political tensions surrounding the transformation of armed struggles into nonviolent feminist actions.