Arjona - Rebelocracy : Social Order in the Colombian Civil War

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Rebelocracy

Social Order in the Colombian Civil War

Ana Arjona

Northwestern University

One Liberty Plaza, New York NY 10006, USA

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Ana Arjona 2016

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First published 2016

Printed in the United States of America by Sheridan Books, Inc.

A catalog record for this publication is available from the British Library

ISBN 978-1-107-12603-9 Hardback

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To Eudald Lerga

I decided to embark on the study of the dynamics of civil war in the early 2000s. Colombia was still enduring some of the worst years of the armed conflict between the state, insurgents, and paramilitary groups. I was initially determined to investigate how countries can recover from the wounds that war leaves behind. But I quickly realized that I would not be able to understand the challenges that societies endure in a postwar period without an understanding of what happens during war. Even though I was concerned about the intense violence that often characterizes civil wars, I realized that much more changes in war and we did not know much about it. In particular, war seemed to entail not only the destruction of a preexisting reality but also the emergence of multiple new local realities. There was a sense of normality during lulls in the fighting in conflict zones but such normality was quite different from place to place, and it seemed to shape civilians lives in profound ways. I set out to understand which new forms of order emerge in conflict zones, what roles do civilians and combatants play in that process, and what are the consequences for the conduct of war.

This book comes from my doctoral dissertation. I was fortunate to start a PhD in political science at Yale University in the same year that the Program on Order, Conflict and Violence was born. It was a tremendously stimulating place, with professors and students asking new questions, crafting innovative theories, and conducting dedicated fieldwork across the globe. I benefited from the insights and mentoring of an outstanding dissertation committee. The scholarship and teaching of my advisor, Stathis Kalyvas, influenced my approach to social science research in ways that transcend this book. I thank him for continuously challenging me to think deeper, for supporting this project at its different stages, and for being a caring friend. I learned much from the teaching and research of Elisabeth Wood, and her constant effort to work following the most demanding ethical principles. I thank her for giving me invaluable feedback every time I needed it, and for being tender and demanding at the same time. Ian Shapiro believed in the relevance and viability of this project since its inception. He graciously agreed to guide me in the study of how political philosophers have approached the problem of order. I am grateful for his support over the years, and for caring about me and my family.

In developing this project, many others at Yale gave comments, feedback, and support. Although I cannot list them all here, I am especially grateful to Cameron Ballard-Rosa, Laia Balcells, Gina Bateson, Robert Blair, Mario Chacn, Kush Choudhury, Francesca Grandi, Don Green, Adi Greif, Sandy Henderson, Amelia Hoover, Corinna Jentzsch, Stephen Kaplan, Matt Kocher, Dominika Koter, Pierre Landry, Meghan Lynch, Jason Lyall, Haris Mylonas, Shivaji Mukherjee, Tatiana Neumann, Ana de la O, Leonid Peisakhin, Gemma Sala, Kenneth Scheve, Luis Schiumerini, Jonah Schulhofer-Wohl, Livia Schubiger, Abbey Steele, Sue Stokes, and Steve Wilkinson.