Latin American Social Medicine in Colombia: Violence, neoliberalism, and Buen Vivir

Abstract

This article explores the efforts of Latin American Social Medicine (LASM) scholars/activists to incorporate decolonial approaches to support peace building in Colombia. We draw from our participation in Red SaludPaz (RSP); a network of universities and civil society organizations dedicated to supporting the peace accord, and guided by social medicine and the indigenous epistemology of Buen Vivir. We describe the work of RSP both as researchers and as active participants of this network guided by participatory action research in the tradition of Fals Borda. We ask what challenges are faced by RSP when reflecting on Buen Vivir, and how to understand our own endeavor to examine community‐based projects through Buen Vivir. We have found that RSP's commitment to promote peace has invited LASM scholars/activists to decolonize notions of health and wellbeing and to think about Buen Vivir as a pathway to emancipation from the rigid confines of western epistemology.