Uribe Sarmiento, John Jairo, Rodríguez Fernández, Iokiñe y Baquero, Melo Jairo (eds.): «Paces desde abajo: desafíos y oportunidades de otra paz». Editorial Universidad del Rosario, East Anglia University, Universidad de Ibagué, 2022, 417 pages.

Abstract

The construction of Peace, (with a capital letter, since it is a longed-for and total peace) implies a complex and dynamic process in which multiple actors, scenarios, temporalities, and levels of decision intertwine, generate tensions and dissolve; since a single idea of peace is neither possible nor feasible, nor is there a single way of promoting and practicing it. "Paces from Below, Challenges and Opportunities for Another Peace" is dedicated to exploring this diversity in the context of the transformation of the idea of "Peace". The multiplicity of "paces" reflects the diversity of conflicts expressed in each territory of Colombia. It requires the complex interaction of local, regional, national, and global powers, addressing many synergies and articulations but also confrontations and denials.
Therefore, the paces imply the future, and a profusion of organizations and communities strive to create their own time, disassociating themselves from a past determined by armed actors based on the generation of alternatives to the social control they have exercised. The paces should be understood as exercises of freedom, where people are free to think, decide, dialogue, manage their projects, educate their children, cultivate, heal, and protect the environment. Peace involves a complex relationship between social order and conflict management and implies a distribution of the costs and benefits of social activity.