PhD IDS student Camilo Ucrós attended the 2024 International Congress of the Latin American Studies Association (LASA) which took place from June 12 - 15 in Bogotá, Colombia. The theme this year was "Reaction and Resistance: Imagining Possible Futures in Latin America." At LASA 2024, Camilo did not only present his research project, but also convened and chaired a panel together with a group of fellow researchers: Alejandro Jaramillo, Tanja Niejmeijer, Rafael Quishpe and Clement Roux.

The panel was titled "Del campo a #consumapaz: Procesos y materialidades de la reincorporación socioeconómica en el posacuerdo colombiano" (From the countryside to #consumingpeace: processes and materialities of the socioeconomic reintegration in the Colombian post-agreement) and participants discussed how new commercial practices of former combatants shape socio-economic reintegration and reconciliation dynamics in territories that were strongly affected by the Colombian civil war. Further issues of particular interest were alternative and solidarity-centred approaches to commercialism, the role of digital platforms, predominant reconciliation narratives as well as the embedding into the broader development and humanitarian context.

From Bogotá Camilo heads off to a second round of fieldwork in Colombia for his doctoral research project on Collective action of former FARC combatants around collective economic projects.