Open Research Online The Open University’s repository of research publications and other research outputs Indigenous-Hybrid Organisations in Colombia: A Multi-Level Analysis within the Buen Vivir Model Thesis How to cite: Morales Pachon, Andres (2019). Indigenous-Hybrid Organisations in Colombia: A Multi-Level Analysis within the Buen Vivir Model. PhD thesis The Open University. For guidance on citations see FAQs. c 2018 The Author https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Version: Version of Record Link(s) to article on publisher’s website: http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.21954/ou.ro.0000f316 Copyright and Moral Rights for the articles on this site are retained by the individual authors and/or other copyright owners. For more information on Open Research Online’s data policy on reuse of materials please consult the policies page. oro.open.ac.uk INDIGENOUS-HYBRID ORGANISATIONS IN COLOMBIA: A MULTI-LEVEL ANALYSIS WITHIN THE BUEN VIVIR MODEL ANDRÉS MORALES A thesis submitted to the Open University in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The Open University Business School Department for Public Leadership and Social Enterprise November 2018 Acknowledgements I thank the following people for their support and immense contribution towards this study. First of all, I am grateful to Dr Michael Ngoasong, Professor Roger Spear and Dr Silvia Sacchetti for their input and guidance throughout the research process. It has been a privilege for me to be working under their distinguished, meticulous and persevering PhD supervision. I also thank Michael Murphy for his proofreading supervision and support. This thesis could not have been completed without the considerable cooperation and support of the indigenous community-based organisations and their leaders that agreed to take part in this research. I thank them for sharing their stories and views which enabled me to undertake this study. Further, I thank all my friends at the Open University and in London for their friendship and support, and for making me feel that I am not completely alone in this journey. My special appreciation goes to my Colombian family for their encouragement; were it not for them, I would not have reached this point in my education. I would also like to offer my in-depth appreciation to my in laws for their unconditional love and support. Last but not least, this thesis would not have been possible without the constant understanding and support – through the many hours when I have been absent or preoccupied with completing this work – of my dear partner, Sara Calvo, and my beloved son, Yaku, who has helped me to manage my time more effectively and enjoy life. Thank you! Abstract There has been a recent increase in the number of publications about the indigenous philosophy of Buen Vivir (BV) as an alternative paradigm to mainstream development theory. However, there is a dearth of theoretically grounded empirical research that interrogates the impact of BV as an alternative development model within the social and solidarity economy (SSE) in Latin America. Therefore, this thesis aims to address this research gap by investigating the development of indigenous community based organisations (ICOs) that are located within the SSE in Colombia, examining to what extent their experiences embody key tenets of the BV model. By drawing upon insights from post-development (BV) and postcolonial theories (Bhabha’s mimicry and hybridity), this thesis develops and critically explores a multi-level model for understanding the development of ICOs in Colombia, considering the micro, meso and macro levels. Using participatory video research, this research draws upon evidence from a multiple case study research with five indigenous communities (Curripaco, Puinave, Yanacona, Misak and Wayuu) in three geographic regions (the Amazons, Cauca and Guajira). The thesis uses the following types of data collection: secondary data sources, video focus groups, video semi-structured interviews, observations and field notes. The analysis of the multiple case study using Nvivo, discovers that ICOs operate as hybrid organisations that are influenced by their indigenous cultural practices, as well as the dominant Western forms legitimised by the SSE norms (mimicry). Overall, this thesis reveals that the ICOs’ experiences are consistent with the values and pillars that embody the key tenets of the BV model. The findings demonstrate that the current policy discourse provides little scope for engagement for ICOs in Colombia, even though evidence shows their contribution to the national economy. In doing so, this thesis offers an opportunity for policy makers to rethink and re-evaluate the existing policies in relation to indigenous communities and the SSE sector, to provide a pathway consistent with some elements of the BV model to contribute to the national development plan. Key words: Buen Vivir; indigenous community-based organisations; social and solidarity economy; post-development; post-colonial; hybridisation. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABBREVIATIONS 6 LIST OF TABLES 8 LIST OF BOXES 9 LIST OF FIGURES 10 CHAPTER 1 11 WHY IS THE STUDY OF INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANISATIONS IN COLOMBIA OF INTEREST? 11 1.1 RATIONALE FOR THE STUDY 11 1.2 DEFINITION OF KEY CONCEPTS USED FOR THE STUDY 14 1.2.1 BUEN VIVIR 14 1.2.2 THE SOCIAL AND SOLIDARITY ECONOMY AND COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANISATIONS 15 1.2.3 INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES, INDIGENOUS PEOPLE ORGANISED GROUPS AND INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANISATIONS 16 1.3 OBJECTIVES, RESEARCH QUESTIONS, THEORY AND METHODOLOGY 17 1.4 STRUCTURE OF THE THESIS 18 CHAPTER 2 21 IMAGINING OTHER WORLDS: ‘BUEN VIVIR’, A DECOLONIAL APPROACH TO DEVELOPMENT 21 2.1 INTRODUCTION 21 2.2 THE TALES OF ‘DEVELOPMENT’: THE FAILURE OF ITS IMPLEMENTATIONS 22 2.3 THE EMERGING CONCEPT OF BUEN VIVIR 29 2.4 THE CONCEPTUALISATION OF BUEN VIVIR 32 2.4.1 BUEN VIVIR VALUES 35 2.4.2 BUEN VIVIR PILLARS 40 2.5 CRITICISMS OF BUEN VIVIR 47 2.6 CONCLUDING REMARKS 49 CHAPTER 3 52 ENCOUNTERING POST-DEVELOPMENT AND POST-COLONIAL THEORIES: MIMICRY AND HYBRIDITY TO UNDERSTAND THE SOCIAL AND SOLIDARITY ECONOMY IN LATIN AMERICA 52 3.1 INTRODUCTION 52 3.2 POSTCOLONIAL THEORY: MIMICRY AND HYBRIDITY 53 3.3 THE SOCIAL AND SOLIDARITY ECONOMY IN LATIN AMERICA 60 3.4 MIMICRY AND HYBRIDITY TO UNDERSTAND THE EVOLUTION OF THE SSE IN LATIN AMERICA 63 3.4.1 A REVIEW OF THE HISTORY OF SSE PRACTICES IN LATIN AMERICA 64 3.4.2 UNDERSTANDING THE ‘HYBRID SCENARIO’ OF THE SSE IN LATIN AMERICA 69 3.5 PERSPECTIVES ON INDIGENOUS ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND THE SSE 70 3.6 INDIGENOUS SOCIAL AND SOLIDARITY ECONOMY STUDIES IN LATIN AMERICA 73 3.7 CONCLUDING REMARKS: A MULTI-LEVEL MODEL FOR STUDYING ICOS IN COLOMBIA 75 CHAPTER 4 79 METHODOLOGY 79 4.1. INTRODUCTION 79 4.2 THE USE OF PARTICIPATORY VIDEO RESEARCH TO STUDY ICOS IN COLOMBIA 79 4.2.1 PHILOSOPHICAL INSIGHTS: USING PARTICIPATORY VIDEO RESEARCH TO STUDY ICOS 82 4.2.2 POTENTIALS AND CONSTRAINTS OF THE USE OF PARTICIPATORY VIDEO RESEARCH 84 4.3. RESEARCH DESIGN: A MULTIPLE CASE STUDY RESEARCH 86 4.3.1. CASE STUDY PROTOCOL 87 4.4 SAMPLING: SELECTING THE ICOS IN COLOMBIA 88 4.4.1 SELECTION OF CASE STUDY EXAMPLES 89 4.5 METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION 90 4.5.1 A REVIEW OF SECONDARY DATA SOURCES 90 4.5.2 PREPRODUCTION STAGE: RESEARCH MATERIAL AND EQUIPMENT FOR THE DATA COLLECTION 91 4.5.3 PRODUCTION STAGE: DURING THE FIELDWORK 91 4.5.4 POST-PRODUCTION STAGE: VIDEO PRODUCTION AND CLOSING EVENT 94 THE LINKS TO THE VIDEOS PRODUCED CAN BE SEEN HERE: 95 4.6 DATA ANALYSIS 95 4.7 REFLEXIVITY AND METHODOLOGICAL LIMITATIONS 97 4.8 ETHICAL AND LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS 99 4.9 CONCLUDING REMARKS 100 CHAPTER 5 101 THE SOCIAL AND SOLIDARITY ECONOMY, BUEN VIVIR AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLE IN COLOMBIA: THE CONTEXT FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ICOS IN THE ANDES, THE AMAZONS AND THE CARIBBEAN 101 5.1. INTRODUCTION 101 5.2. THE HISTORY OF INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES IN COLOMBIA 102 5.3. BUEN VIVIR AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLE IN COLOMBIA: UNDERSTANDING THE CULTURE AND TRADITIONS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE IN THE ANDES, THE AMAZONS AND THE CARIBBEAN 110 5.4. IDENTIFYING THE SSE SCENARIO IN COLOMBIA 127 5.5. CONCLUDING REMARKS 132 CHAPTER 6 134 THE HYBRIDISATION OF ICOS: INFLUENTIAL FACTORS IN THE FORMALISATION OF IOGS IN COLOMBIA 134 6.1 INTRODUCTION 134 6.2 RAISON D'ÊTRE: MOTIVES FOR THE ICOS’ EXISTENCE (INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL DRIVERS) 135 6.2.1 INTERNAL DRIVER: COSMOVISION: ANCESTRALITY, KNOWLEDGE, IDENTITY AND LANGUAGE 136 6.2.2 INTERNAL DRIVER: COMMUNITY AND FAMILY WELLBEING 139 6.2.3 EXTERNAL DRIVER: LAND RIGHTS AND TERRITORIALITY 145 6.2.4 EXTERNAL DRIVER: ARMED CONFLICT AND VIOLENCE 149 6.2.5 EXTERNAL DRIVER: SOCIO-ECONOMIC NEEDS: POVERTY AND LACK OF EMPLOYMENT 151 6.2.6 EXTERNAL DRIVER: FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES 154 6.3 FROM MIMICRY TO HYBRIDITY: THE TRANSMUTATION OF IOGS INTO ICOS 158 6.3.1 LEGAL STATUS, OWNERSHIP AND ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE 158 6.3.2 PRODUCTION OF GOODS AND SERVICES 169 6.3.3 GOVERNANCE: DECISION-MAKING PROCESS 177 6.3.4 ORGANISATIONAL STRATEGIES: GRANT SEEKING, DIVERSIFICATION, CAPACITY BUILDING, NETWORKING AND PARTNERSHIPS 184 6.4 CONCLUDING REMARKS 191 CHAPTER 7 194 THE DEVELOPMENT OF ICOS IN COLOMBIA THAT EMBODY THE BUEN VIVIR MODEL 194 7.1 INTRODUCTION 194 7.2 THE INTERPRETATION OF BUEN VIVIR ON THE STUDIED INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES IN COLOMBIA 195 7.3 MODELLING THE BV IN THE COLOMBIAN CONTEXT 199 7.4 BUEN VIVIR INFLUENCES AND EFFECTS ON THE ICOS’ DEVELOPMENT AND OPERATIONS 203 7.4.1 BUEN VIVIR INFLUENCE ON THE ICOS’ EXISTENCE 206 7.4.2 BUEN VIVIR INFLUENCE ON THE ICOS’ CONSTITUTION 208 7.4.3 BUEN