Book Project

My book examines an overlooked path in post-conflict politics: when former rebels collectively move from armed struggle to what I call radical nonviolent activism. Most research treats ex-combatants as security risks or assumes they must demobilize into private life or party politics. Instead, I show how some former fighters stay organized and pursue transformative political goals through nonviolent strategies and outside formal institutions—an outcome that existing theory and policy frameworks largely fail to explain or support.

​

This oversight in the literature is surprising, given strong evidence that former combatants are much more likely to turn to nonviolent activism than to take up arms again. Most fighters who disarm do not rearm, and cases like Northern Ireland show that former rebels can help mobilize communities around peace and social justice. Still, existing peacebuilding theories offer little insight into how some armed groups become cohesive, nonviolent movements that challenge—rather than join—the political system.

​

The book fills this gap by treating former rebels’ shift to radical nonviolent activism as a real and distinct postwar outcome. This activism is collective and nonviolent, but still ambitious in its goals, aiming to transform social, political, and economic relations rather than simply work within existing institutions. Focusing on this pathway offers a new way to understand how former rebels can continue political struggle—and contribute to peace—without surrender.

​

The book focuses on Colombia, tracing how some former FARC members moved from armed insurgency to collective, nonviolent activism rooted in cooperative and communal projects. Based on fieldwork conducted between 2019 and 2024, it makes three core claims: reintegration policies that support collective, locally rooted organizing matter; safe conditions and strong ties with surrounding communities make open activism possible; and collective former-rebel activism can produce real peace dividends, from improved well-being to stronger local reconciliation and civil society.

​

These findings also matter for policy. Current UN-backed reintegration models tend to favor individual demobilization or quick moves into electoral politics, often with disappointing results. By overlooking collective, grassroots, and nonviolent pathways, policymakers miss chances to support more inclusive and justice-oriented approaches to peacebuilding.​