Biographical Consequences of Activism at the Collective Level: Campesino Communities Against Extractivism in Colombia

Studies on the biographical consequences of activism have primarily focused on the individual level. However, as Passy and Molosch (2019) note, participation in social movements can also have significant consequences at the collective level. This paper, based on historiographic and hemerographic analysis, participant observation, and interviews with key actors, examines the impact of the movimiento defensor against the Quebradona mining project in Antioquia, Colombia, on the campesino communities involved. Specifically, it explores the cognitive-relational processes that shaped identity changes and political perspectives on extractivism, popular resistance, and state-society relations at the community level.