Performative reintegration : ex-combatants' transitions toward civilian identities in Colombia

This dissertation builds a comprehensive analysis of the affective and ideological worlds of former guerrillas and their transitions towards civilian identities in contemporary Colombia, through the lens of a theatre and performance studies scholar. It is an ethnographically grounded and historically informed examination of how secondary care practices and institutions contribute to contemporary conflict transformation. It looks beyond familiar representations and binaries of victims and perpetrators, and follows a practice-based approach to the design and implementation of public policy that regards an affective turn towards embodied practice as a core element of reintegration. At its focus are reintegration programmes tailored for former combatants held in line with Colombia’s multiple peace-building efforts. Built around these two pillars, this study presents the process of reintegration as a performative practice where human emotions and transactions illuminate how social processes produce new political subjects