New Books in Anthropology

Andreas E. Feldmann, "Repertoires of Terrorism: Organizational Identity and Violence in Colombia's Civil War" (Columbia UP, 2024)

Sep 22, 2024

Andreas E. Feldmann, a scholar specializing in the behavior of armed groups during civil wars, dives deep into Colombia's civil conflict. He explores how different groups like FARC and ELN uniquely employ terrorism, rooted in their organizational identities. Feldmann shares his personal motivations, linked to his family's history, which drove his decade-long research. He discusses the evolving tactics of violence post-peace accords and draws comparisons to the organized crime dynamics in Mexico, highlighting the pervasive influence of ideological and criminal motivations in armed struggles.

42:18

Episode guests

Andreas E. Feldmann

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Quick takeaways

Dr. Feldmann argues that organizational identity critically shapes how different armed groups in Colombia employ distinct repertoires of violence during civil wars.

Understanding the unique violent strategies of various factions allows humanitarian organizations to tailor their responses and better protect civilian populations.

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Intro

2min

Understanding Terrorism and Organizational Identity in Colombia's Civil War

3min

Personal Journeys in Terrorism Research

12min

Understanding Terrorism: A Comparative Analysis of FARC and ELN in Colombia

2min

Violence and Ideology in Colombia's War

17min

Exploring Violence and Hope in Conflict Regions

3min

Why do armed groups employ terrorism in markedly different ways during civil wars? Drawing on more than a decade of fieldwork, Dr. Andreas E. Feldmann examines the disparate behaviour of actors including guerrilla groups, state security forces, and paramilitaries during Colombia’s long and bloody civil war. Analysing the varieties of violence in this conflict, he develops a new theory of the dynamics of terrorism in civil wars.

In Repertoires of Terrorism: Organizational Identity and Violence in Colombia's Civil War (Columbia University Press, 2024) Dr. Feldmann argues that armed groups’ distinct uses—repertoires—of terrorism arise from their particular organisational identities, the central and enduring attributes that distinguish one faction from other warring parties. He investigates a range of groups that took part in the Colombian conflict over the course of its evolution from ideological to criminal warfare, demonstrating that organisational identity plays a critical role in producing and rationalising violence. Armed parties employ their unique repertoires as a means of communication to assert their relevance and territorial presence and to differentiate themselves from enemies and rivals. Repertoires of Terrorism is based on an extensive data set covering thousands of incidents, as well as interviews, archival research, and testimony. It sheds new light on both armed groups’ use of violence in Colombia’s civil war and the factors that shape terrorist activity in other conflicts.

This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose new book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars.

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