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The study explores how scholar-activism can influence the reincorporation of FARC-EP combatants in Colombia, influenced by the researcher’s positionality.

July 4, 2026Open Access

Scholar-activism in practice: researching FARC-EP reincorporation as a Colombian abroad

Key Points

The study explores how scholar-activism can influence the reincorporation of FARC-EP combatants in Colombia, influenced by the researcher’s positionality.
Conducted as a Colombian researcher based in Germany, utilizing feminist and decolonial perspectives.
Reflected on positionality and dilemmas faced while researching marginalized communities.
Engaged with interlocutors to navigate the complexities of anonymity and visibility.
Identified tensions between protecting interlocutors’ anonymity and amplifying marginalized voices.
Highlighted the political nature of conducting research in the context of ongoing violence.
Emphasized the importance of reflexivity and accountability in producing actionable knowledge.

Abstract

Abstract What roles can researchers play when scholarship and peace activism overlap? This forum contribution examines that question through my study of former FARC-EP combatants’ reincorporation, conducted as a Colombian researcher based in Germany. Drawing on feminist and decolonial perspectives, I reflect on how my insider—outsider positionality—shaped by nationality, geographic distance, privilege, and sustained engagement with interlocutors—shapes my scholar-activist practice. I identify key dilemmas this positionality produces: unequal access to resources and visibility; tensions between safeguarding interlocutors’ anonymity and amplifying marginalized voices; and the risk of being accused of romanticizing former combatants when contesting rigid victim/perpetrator binaries. I argue that research in contexts of ongoing violence is inherently political, yet scholar-activism and feminist scholarship can offer a productive space for reflexivity and accountability, producing situated, ethically responsible knowledge.

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