Esoteropolitics, violence and armed conflict in Colombia—Narratives, actors and strategies
Esoteric practices have played a significant yet often overlooked role in shaping the dynamics of Colombia's armed conflict. This article introduces the concept of esoteropolitics to analyze the interplay between war, power, and supernatural rituals—including witchcraft, religion, spiritualism,...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Political Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpos.2025.1579258/full |
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| author | César Niño Hugo Guerrero-Sierra Jaime Wilches |
| author_facet | César Niño Hugo Guerrero-Sierra Jaime Wilches |
| author_sort | César Niño |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Esoteric practices have played a significant yet often overlooked role in shaping the dynamics of Colombia's armed conflict. This article introduces the concept of esoteropolitics to analyze the interplay between war, power, and supernatural rituals—including witchcraft, religion, spiritualism, and the occult. Using an intentional sampling strategy, 150 sources—comprising scientific articles, literary works, and journalistic records—were collected and systematically coded. The analysis focused on both macro and micro scenarios, tracing how objective and subjective narratives intersect in the conflict. Findings show that esoteropolitical elements were not only present but acted as influential agents throughout the conflict. Despite being systematically marginalized by political elites and illegal armed actors, esoteric narratives shaped war strategies, tactical decisions, and the formation of legitimacy and territorial control. This research expands the literature on the political functions of esotericism by demonstrating its embeddedness in armed conflict and its capacity to structure power relations. It urges a reconsideration of these often-invisible forces in understanding the logics of violence and governance in Colombia. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c31eb3a93e5643e885fa30a462c85781 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2673-3145 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Political Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-c31eb3a93e5643e885fa30a462c857812025-08-20T02:39:50ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Political Science2673-31452025-06-01710.3389/fpos.2025.15792581579258Esoteropolitics, violence and armed conflict in Colombia—Narratives, actors and strategiesCésar Niño0Hugo Guerrero-Sierra1Jaime Wilches2Estudios Políticos y Globales, Facultad de Economía Empresa y Desarrollo Sostenible, Universidad de La Salle, Bogotá, ColombiaFacultad de Relaciones Internacionales, Estrategia y Seguridad, Universidad Militar Nueva Granada, Cajicá, ColombiaFacultad de Ciencias y Educación, Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas, Bogotá, ColombiaEsoteric practices have played a significant yet often overlooked role in shaping the dynamics of Colombia's armed conflict. This article introduces the concept of esoteropolitics to analyze the interplay between war, power, and supernatural rituals—including witchcraft, religion, spiritualism, and the occult. Using an intentional sampling strategy, 150 sources—comprising scientific articles, literary works, and journalistic records—were collected and systematically coded. The analysis focused on both macro and micro scenarios, tracing how objective and subjective narratives intersect in the conflict. Findings show that esoteropolitical elements were not only present but acted as influential agents throughout the conflict. Despite being systematically marginalized by political elites and illegal armed actors, esoteric narratives shaped war strategies, tactical decisions, and the formation of legitimacy and territorial control. This research expands the literature on the political functions of esotericism by demonstrating its embeddedness in armed conflict and its capacity to structure power relations. It urges a reconsideration of these often-invisible forces in understanding the logics of violence and governance in Colombia.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpos.2025.1579258/fullesoteropoliticsColombiaconflictoccultismlegitimacy |
| spellingShingle | César Niño Hugo Guerrero-Sierra Jaime Wilches Esoteropolitics, violence and armed conflict in Colombia—Narratives, actors and strategies Frontiers in Political Science esoteropolitics Colombia conflict occultism legitimacy |
| title | Esoteropolitics, violence and armed conflict in Colombia—Narratives, actors and strategies |
| title_full | Esoteropolitics, violence and armed conflict in Colombia—Narratives, actors and strategies |
| title_fullStr | Esoteropolitics, violence and armed conflict in Colombia—Narratives, actors and strategies |
| title_full_unstemmed | Esoteropolitics, violence and armed conflict in Colombia—Narratives, actors and strategies |
| title_short | Esoteropolitics, violence and armed conflict in Colombia—Narratives, actors and strategies |
| title_sort | esoteropolitics violence and armed conflict in colombia narratives actors and strategies |
| topic | esoteropolitics Colombia conflict occultism legitimacy |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpos.2025.1579258/full |
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