Violence, No violence, and Power Constructions

Abstract

This article offers an analysis of the initiatives, proposals, and community processes led by women, victims of government and non-government-supported political violence in Central and Northern Valle del Cauca Department. It is believed that these community processes evolve around a contradictory reality. On the one hand, violent actions lead to their extinction but at the same time, they serve as fuel for the appearance of incipient power- seeking movements, which in the words of Arendt represent "potentiality, consensus, and collectivity." On the other hand, as long as such organizations are immersed in a context characterized by violence and impunity, their actions are held back, thus preventing them from becoming full-power alternatives.