ABSTRACT
In this chapter, women co-researchers share their experiences of rebuilding their lives after forced displacement to Bogotá and Medellín. While Chapter 5 explored their experiences of displacement, this chapter focuses on the challenges they face upon arriving in the city and their efforts to rebuild in new urban environments. They discuss how these challenges, rooted in both the violence of displacement and ongoing urban struggles, impede their recovery from the traumatic experiences of displacement and conflict. These include intersecting forms of violence from armed groups, city residents, and the state. Chapters 5 and 6 are interconnected, illustrating how displacement and conflict continue to shape their lives even after leaving their homes behind. The women feel uprooted and abandoned by the state but also experience personal and collective growth. They have come to care deeply for their urban neighbourhoods and actively rebuild their lives, engaging in activism across various scales. Their hopes and aspirations for their urban futures are explored further in Chapter 7.
