Juan Mario Diaz
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DOCTORAL THESIS Orlando Fals-Borda or The Ethics of Subversion: Towards a Critique of Ideology of Political Violence in Colombia, 1948–1974 Diaz, Juan Award date: 2017 General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal ? Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Download date: 28. Sep. 2021 Orlando Fals-Borda or The Ethics of Subversion: Towards a Critique of Ideology of Political Violence in Colombia, 1948–1974 by Juan Mario Díaz Arévalo BA, BPhil, MA A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of PhD Department of Humanities University of Roehampton 2017 Abstract This thesis is an inter-disciplinary project incorporating history, philosophy, sociology, theology and political analysis. It looks at highly significant, yet little researched, aspects of the intellectual history of Colombian sociologist and political leader Orlando Fals-Borda, 1925–2008. The thesis reconstructs the early period of Fals-Borda’s career, 1948–1974, and reveals first-hand information about his original thinking gathered from his works, published and unpublished, and vast correspondence (much previously unknown) scattered in five different archives in Colombia, the USA and Switzerland. It establishes the foundations for comprehending one of the central themes of Fals-Borda’s intellectual and political career: his critique of ideology of political violence in Colombia. A basic tenet of this research is that intellectual history, rather than the objective presentation of somebody’s intellectual work within his/her historical context, implies a philosophical understanding of his/her main concerns. Thus, this interplay between intellectual history and critique makes this research far more than a historiography of Fals-Borda’s ideas since it explores his original insight into the complexities of the long-running violence in Colombia. The framework which supports this interplay between intellectual history and critique is Walter Benjamin’s ‘Critique of the Violence’ and ‘Theses on Philosophy of History’. Through the lens of Benjamin’s philosophy about violence and history, this thesis examines Fals-Borda’s ethics of subversion in a new light. Another central tenet of this research is that understanding the past is crucial for understanding the present, and vice versa. Thus, it highlights the importance of the ethical-theological, historical and epistemological bases leading to Fals-Borda’s development of Participatory Action Research (PAR). This approach is especially relevant to the current political situation and debate on democratic participation and socio-economic and human rights in Colombia, in the light of peace negotiations between the government, guerrilla groups and civil society. To my mother, Clare and Amelie and to the memory of my father Contents Acknowledgements Abbreviations Page Foreword ................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 5 Chapter One The Making of an Intellectual, 1948–1958 ............................................................. 27 Chapter Two La Violencia: The Socio-Political Dimension of the Moral Question .................... 63 Chapter Three The Criticism of La Violencia en Colombia: Materials for a Pionering Essay of Sociology of Knowledge ............................... 103 Chapter Four Justice and Liberation: The Theological Bases of Fals-Borda’s Social Ethics .......................................... 136 Chapter Five Moral Subversion: The Socio-Historical Framework of Fals-Borda’s Political Ideology .................. 178 Chapter Six Participation and Action Research: The Epistemological Bases of Fals-Borda’s Socio-Political Praxis ..................... 218 Closing Chapter ..................................................................................................... 257 Bibliography .......................................................................................................... 288 Acknowledgements Writing a thesis is a very personal task which is only possible due to the generous support and encouragement of a great many of people and institutions. I am deeply grateful to Roehampton University for awarding me one of the Sacred Heart full scholarships for the period 2012–2015. This privileged opportunity enabled me to devote three years full-time to my research. When this support came to an end and the thesis was still far from completion, I was exceedingly fortunate in being welcomed by my good friends, Gill and Rolf, to use a spacious studio in their marvellous floating home on the River Thames. Their generosity enabled me to dedicate one more, and crucial, year to writing up the thesis. My greatest debt of gratitude is to them. I am also especially grateful to Dr Carrie Hamilton, Dr Eric Jacobson and Professor Mike Edwards for their able supervision, continuous support and motivation. I am particularly grateful to Dr Hamilton for her willingness to spend the necessary hours reading and discussing my research throughout the past four years. I also owe her a particular debt for her guidance when this project seemed to be beyond my capacity. When I first applied, she saw potential in my research proposal — I hope she is pleased with the final outcome. My special thanks go to my partner, Clare, for her patient understanding of the need to devote time to my project and for her dedication to our little daughter, Amelie. In Colombia, I enjoyed the encouragement and trust of Rev. Professor Alberto Parra, S.J., the expert advice of Dr Carlos Enrique Angarita and the help of Mónica Moreno who generously shared archive material from the Presbyterian Historical Society in the U.S. and boxes from the Fondo Acumulado of the Faculty of Sociology obtained for her own research. This data was vital for my research. I would also like to express my thanks to Professor Joanne Rappaport and Dr Carlos Enrique Angarita whose comments on two chapters helped improve their final version significantly; Dr Rappaport who shared a document from the Fondo Orlando Fals-Borda Banco de la República, Monteria, which I analysed in the closing chapter; Father Fernán Fernandez, S.J., Dr John Jairo Serna, Professor Jaime Eduardo Jaramillo and posthumously, Dr Carlos Emilio Gaviria Díaz, Chief Executive of the Supreme Court and presidential candidate, who kindly agreed to being interviewed and offered valuable and excellent advice. Dr Gaviria Diaz reminded Colombians ceaselessly throughout his presidential campaign in 2006 that ethics and politics should not be antagonistic. Little did I know at that time that Fals-Borda had been the Chief Executive of the political party Dr Gaviria represented. My thanks go to the staff of the various archives and institutions where I have conducted this research: the Archivo Central e Histórico of the National University in Bogotá, especially to Gabriel Escalante whose kindness and collaboration facilitated my search of information enormously; the Archivo General de la Nación, especially to its Director Dr Maurico Tovar and Flor Alba; Archive Escuela Superior de Adminsitración Pública, especially to Carmen Cecilia Lagos Caballero and her team for their diligent help; the Library of the Javeriana University, especially to Lucila Herrera, Janneth Londoño and Judith Rodríguez for their readiness to help with my awful lots of requests; the Colombian National Library, the British Library and the Library of Roehampton University, especially to the Interlibrary Loans team and the Humanities librarian. Thanks are due to the Society for Latin American Studies (SLAS) for a travel grant which allowed me a second fieldwork trip to Colombia. It was my original intention to write this thesis in Spanish, my native tongue, and then to get it translated into English; however, my supervisors encouraged me to do it in the English language. They were convinced I could do it, even when I was not so sure. This is why special thanks are due to Martin Higgitt, Emily Humphreys and Gill for their help in making the earlier drafts readable. My greatest debt of gratitude is to Gill, a professional and skilful editor, for her dedication to the entire final manuscript. I was exceedingly fortunate that she not only undertook the extremely challenging task of improving the English of a newcomer to the Anglophone world but also got involved in the discussion of the thesis’s topics which was a unique opportunity to clarify my ideas and discuss my findings. In spite of Gill’s painstaking work and Rolf’s help in setting the style sheet, and despite Professor Edwards’s and Dr Hamilton’s sterling supervisory support, the final draft may still have some shortcomings, either in contents or in form. They are mine.