Abstract

QUICENO TORO, Natalia. Staging, Silences and Moments of Testimony. Fieldwork in Contexts of Violence. Estud. Polit. [online]. 2008, n.33, pp.181-208. ISSN 0121-5167.

This article proposes a reflection on ethnographic fieldwork and the act of "bearing witness" in "war" contexts. This reflection is one of the outcomes of a research project focused on political conflict victims in three neighborhoods of Medellin conducted in 2007. The article locates as central points of analysis contexts and moments where bearing witness is elicited [spatial and temporal elements that condition witnessing ] as well as the role that acts such as listening and remaining silent play in their production. It challenges the taken for granted idea that bearing witness is neutral and independent of the context of its enunciation, as it shows how spatial and temporal conditions, emotions and the interaction between researcher and victims ["victims" ] give shape to people's accounts and understanding of the political conflict. This article proposes a reflexive posture that takes in account such conditions as an alternative way of approaching acts of bearing witness.

Keywords : Witness; Violence; Victims; Medellín; Ethnographic Fieldwork.

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