Structural violence and artistic education in Colombia. Arts and an emancipatory path towards peace

Abstract

This paper investigates how artistic education (AE) in Colombia, often marginalized in public schools, can both reinforce and challenge social inequalities. Through the lens of structural violence, this research explores the emancipatory potential of the AE class, questioning how it might become a space for promoting social justice and peace. The main objectives of the article were to identify a relationship between the arts, AE, and structural violence in Colombia, and to explore the idea that a quality AE class is necessary for everyone, transformative, and ideal for encouraging peacebuilding. The focus group methodology was used to gather insights from six participants with close relationships with arts and AE. The focus group transcription was then analyzed using thematic analysis. In the findings, two key concepts emerged: the Comprehensive Notion of Arts (CNA) and the Limited Notion of Arts (LNA); these contrasting views reflect broader societal attitudes toward art. It is concluded that poor or absent AE is a violent phenomenon because it reduces people’s scope of possibilities and tools to imagine and build a different, less violent future, limiting Colombian society’s capacity to transform its conflict.