Resistance, Resilience, and Memory: Grassroots Cultural Practices in Medellín’s Post-Conflict Transformation

Abstract

This thesis explores the role of grassroots actors and community-based initiatives in the social transformation of Medellín’s urban northwestern periphery, with a specific focus on Comuna 5 and Comuna 6. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork, including semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and informal conversations, the study examines how community-based actors, referring to grassroots initiatives or residents otherwise involved in the community, utilize arts and cultural expression as tools for social transformation. The research highlights how cultural practices are used to build community, protest, remember and overcome. Although the area has experienced significant improvement in safety and living conditions over the last decade, residents continue to face structural challenges. The findings suggest that while bottom-up approaches cannot fully resolve historically rooted inequalities, they play a crucial role in strengthening social fabric and cultivating resilience in post-conflict urban contexts.