Racism and discrimination in Afro-descendant communities in the Colombian South Pacific region

Abstract

This article proposes an approach to the social and political meanings of racism and inequalities in the memories of the Afro-descendant communities from the municipality of Tumaco —southern Colombia— in the period between the emergence of the ethnic-political movement of black communities in the Pacific (early 90s) and the arrival of armed actors and drug trafficking organizations (beginning of the XXI century). The theoretical approach adopted —critical ethnography— puts the testimonies of local leaders into dialogue with some exclusionary practices by the social actors who arrived to this territory during the studied period. The persistence of a multidimensional racism that heightens the social inequality conditions of these communities is observed.