Forced Displacement and Ongoing Vulnerability to Disaster Risk in Colombia

Few, R.N. (2021). Forced Displacement and Ongoing Vulnerability to Disaster Risk in Colombia. [Data Collection]. Colchester, Essex: UK Data Service. 10.5255/UKDA-SN-855102

The project focused on a critical but under-researched theme in studies of forced displacement: the processes through which people forced from their homes by conflict can commonly become exposed to heightened risk from environmental hazards in the places where they resettle. Effectively, such people exchange one form of catastrophic risk for another, often with little real choice in the process. This collaborative project pioneered an innovative methodology using the expressive arts in Colombia, where five decades of conflict have generated what is currently the world's largest population of internally displaced people. Colombia is also one of the countries most prone to natural hazards including landslides, floods, earthquakes and volcanic hazards. The activities aimed to deepen understanding of how and why the transition to new risk occurs, analyse how people perceive and respond to risk in their places of resettlement, and strengthen the capacity of both themselves and the agencies responsible for supporting them to manage the implications on their lives, livelihoods and wellbeing. The work with marginalised people, struggling to rebuild their lives in hazardous settings, often with limited resources, has strong resonance for developing countries across the world where two forms of risk - conflict and disaster - commonly interact. The research and engagement centred on four case studies, working with people displaced by conflict in urban and rural settings within the Departments of Caldas, Risaralda and Cundinamarca in Colombia. Social science methods of interviews and life histories were be merged with exploration of creative arts with study participants. The idea is that focusing on artistic expression, especially popular music which plays a special communicative role in Colombia, helps provide a window to build relations of trust and reach a deeper and richer understanding of the diversity of their experiences, vulnerabilities, perceptions and responses.

Data description (abstract)

Series of transcripts from semi-structured lifecourse interviews with households displaced by violence and subsequently exposed to risk from natural hazards in their places of resettlement. The qualitative data derives from four case studies situated within these areas: the city of Manizales, Caldas (24 interviews); the area Cazuca in Soacha, Cundinamarca (24 interviews); and the settlements Caimalito (26 interviews) and Esperanza Galicia (26 interviews) in Risaralda. The transcripts are in Spanish, and are anonymised (both personal details of interviewees and the names of the barrios in which they are located).

Data creators: