Jiu-jitsu in the Context of Armed Conflict: The Power of Nonviolent Resistance

Abstract

This article explains how, through civil resistance, the community of Samaniego made the abuses of the armed actors in their territory backfire, a phenomenon described as “jiu-jitsu”. We examine the strategies used to generate this phenomenon during three main periods of civil resistance, focusing on two aspects: the organized structure of the civil resistance movement and the access to means that allow disseminating information about the situation. Based on interviews and on-site observation, we show how achieving a jiu-jitsu helped the community of Samaniego to be more autonomous from the armed actors.

Keywords

• Jiu-jitsu
• resistencia civil
• no violencia
• Samaniego (Colombia)
• conflicto armado
• grupos violentos no-estatales