Confianza and trust building in protracted social conflict as essential parts of peacebuilding: The case of Estados Unidos, Colombia

Abstract

This research focuses on trust in the context of protracted social conflict. Trust is known to facilitate cooperation on multiple societal levels. This is why it is argued that trust building should be seen as an integral part of peacebuilding. Violence and conflict are known to have severe impacts on the mental health of human beings, however, and post-conflict contexts often show social debilitation. This arguably feeds into the spiral of mistrust and societal fragmentation and impedes cooperation. The research questions whether it is possible to reconstruct trust in societies that have been exposed to extreme violence and conflict. It attempts to provide an answer to this question by observing the levels of trust in the extremely hard-hit community of Estados Unidos, Cesar, Colombia. By mapping the different stages of trust over the phases of the protracted social conflict, the research shows that it is possible to reconstruct trust after armed conflict and that it has a positive effect on peacebuilding. In the context of Colombia, confianza is seen as important with regards to trust building practices. The research indicates that both spontaneous as conscious community efforts are needed to do so. This gives hope for the future, as trust networks are often brought in contact with the successful democratization of countries.