:::::: Abstract ::::::
by Kristi M. Wilson
As Colombia’s asymmetric war has evolved, gravitating toward cities, it has become absorbed by a transitional justice system. In the process, language used to name relevant stakeholders, shape national narratives of collective memory, and activate legal infrastructure is mediated by a symbolic and often duplicitous system of governance. A history of political violence and attempts to impose security focusing on the contemporary population of Comuna 13, the fastest-growing site of urban displacement in the city of Medellín, gives context to stories of violence that are otherwise eclipsed by the process of collective memory making and describes grassroots attempts at retracing a public narrative.
