Militarized Youth

Based on ethnographic fieldwork and interviews from across Colombiaincluding former child guerillas, former hostages of the guerilla organization, mothers of child soldiers, and humanitarian aid workers this volume explores the experiences of children involved with the Colombian guerilla group the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (Farc). Going beyond the predominant humanitarian perspectives on child soldiers, Johanna Higgs delves into the specific social and cultural aspects of the Colombian conflict to give a contextualized, culturally relevant understanding of the processes of both militarization and demobilization of children, deploying the theoretical lens of lifeworlds. In so doing, Higgs not only provides insight into children's involvement in conflict in Colombia, but presents a clear case for a move away from homogenized understandings of child soldiers, thus far dominated by viewpoints from industrialized Western nations. Tying together perspectivesfrom anthropology, sociology, psychology, politics, and international development, Higgs provides not only a much-needed examination of how children are militarized, soldiering in the Farc context, and demilitarization, but also a blueprint for how research can be tied to specific cultural contexts.

Provides insight into the child soldiering with a specific focus on children in Colombia, an under-studied group of militarized children Brings together in-depth interviews with ethnographic fieldwork in an active conflict zone, demobilization centre, and throughout Colombia Presents the case for more nuanced and culturally embedded research in anthropology, sociology, psychology, politics, and beyond

Auteur

Johanna Higgs, Ph.D., is an anthropologist studying childhood, children in conflict, and women's rights around the world. She is the founder of Project Monma, an organization that which advocates for women's rights, and she has published numerous articles related to women's rights worldwide in such venues as Pass Blue, Independent Australia, the Huffington Post and Morocco World News.

Contenu

Chapter 1: Introduction: The Children of the Las Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC).-Chapter 2: Children and War: A Global Perspective.-Chapter 3: Entering the Field.-Chapter 4: The Lifeworld.-Chapter 5: The Militarised Lifeworlds of Children in Colombia.-Chapter 6: 'I'm a Soldier.' Life Inside the Armed Group.-Chapter 7: Coming Home: The Unmaking of a Child Soldier.-Chapter 8: Conclusion: Colombia and the Road to Peace.