Responses to insurgent power: adaptive school leadership under protracted armed conflict in Rural Colombia

Purpose This article analyzes the impact of insurgent control on school principalship during protracted armed conflict. It examines the dynamic forms of leadership enacted by a public school principal in a guerrilla-controlled area. Design/methodology/approach Situated in a public school in rural eastern Colombia, this case study draws on semi-structured interviews (n = 75) with administrators, teachers, parents, students and school allies, alongside document analysis of school archives (n = 76). Findings In a context of shifting levels of coercion and threat, school leadership becomes a collective and adaptive practice oriented toward protection. Across different war temporalities, tense calm, armed strike and combat, the principal navigates competing demands from the state and armed groups while prioritizing the protection of the school. Protection, enacted through boundary-setting, collaboration and strategic compliance becomes a guiding principle of her leadership. Originality/value Previous research on armed conflict and school leadership tends to treat violence either as discrete events or as a uniform background. This article extends that work by examining how school leadership practices adapt to the unpredictable, shifting and unstable dynamics of conflict. By highlighting these adaptive strategies, the study offers a more nuanced understanding of school leadership in high-risk environments, showing how principals respond to complex power arrangements while sustaining the school's educational mission.