Beyond care as an ethic – Making visible the social reproductive labour in surviving and emerging from violence in Colombia

In the aftermath of conflict, the daily work of caring – for oneself and one’s family, community and territory – is often invisible, not recognized and un(der)funded. Most existing feminist accounts focus on care as an ethic - a way of “being in the world” – rather than care as labour. This paper uses empirical data from fieldwork conducted in Cauca, Colombia between 2022 and 2024 to bring into sharp focus the social reproductive labour that sustains – and indeed helps rebuild – families, communities and societies during violence. It examines different ways in which Colombian women have engaged in social reproductive work under violence - and provides a nuanced analysis of the ways in which this work has both resisted and perpetuated violence. The paper also confronts the lived realities of care and social reproductive labour performed by Colombian women with existing policies, including the National Care Policy. The peace agreement signed between the Colombian government and the FARC is the only comprehensive peace agreement that includes an explicit recognition of the importance of women’s social reproductive work. In the eight years since the adoption of the Final Agreement, there has been more recognition of the importance of social reproduction and care economy in the country’s response to the ever-present violence. The paper interrogates how this recognition has been translated into policies – and what can be done better.