On pluriversality and governance: lessons from Colombia

Although the dismantling of coloniality in logics of governance is widely regarded as a desirable goal, there has been a paucity of research exploring the practical aspects of decolonizing governance, particularly in terms of the form that decolonization might take and the role that ethnic(ized) organic intellectuals could play in this process. In the wake of Colombia's 2016 peace agreement, Indigenous and Afro-Colombian personnel were appointed to pivotal roles in state institutions, from where they proposed alternative ways of knowing, being and doing in sites of governance to protect pluriversality. Building on ethnographic research conducted in Colombia between 2017 and 2019 and again in 2024, I discuss the decolonizing impact these ethnic(ized) organic intellectuals generated through entering state institutions. Recent developments in Colombia are particularly noteworthy due to the institutionalization of relationality, pluriversality and non-human victims' rights, as well as the limiting of the state through strengthened autonomy projects. The article provides insights into how coloniality, Eurocentrism and anthropocentrism can be transcended and non-reformist reforms advanced, making it a valuable contribution to research and policy discourse.