Social Movement Contention in Colombia, 1958–2014

Abstract

This chapter argues that social movements in Colombia respond to the erosion of the rights and benefits gained by citizens, who nevertheless possess enough political and social resources to organize. They confront, but are also shaped by, a state that has developed uneven capabilities to implement policies, offer security, resolve conflict, and protect human rights. Between 1958 and 2010, the period examined here, contention has increased as Colombia’s political system experienced regime change that liberalized political participation, but saw an increment in political violence. Though Colombia’s social movements constitute a visible form of contentious politics, they differ from the widely recognized paramilitary and guerrilla movements. These groups are violent, seek to overthrown the regime, and/or defy constitutional limits. In contrast, social movements represent the open and peaceful struggles for social change carried out by ordinary citizens and their organizations. The chapter draws on various sources, including statistical time-series dating back to 1958, to describe a complex social movement landscape peopled by labor unions, students, peasants, and more recently, women, indigenous groups, and environmentalists, among others. These groups have resorted to direct actions such as labor strikes, road blocks, or land takeover, as well as symbolic actions, to protest a range of social, political, civic, and economic rights. Social movements represent one of the most energetic expressions of Colombia’s democracy and the promise of a pluralist society capable of changing the country’s political culture and institutions.