Hospitality in the Reintegration Process of Ex-FARC Combatants in the Graphic Novel En el ombligo by Gala Rocabert Navarro and Anna-Lina Mattar

Polina Golovátina-Mora; Anna Maria Karczewska

doi:10.31261/rias.18134

Published: 2026-06-30

Vol. 19 No. 1 (2026)

Hospitality in the Reintegration Process of Ex-FARC Combatants in the Graphic Novel En el ombligo by Gala Rocabert Navarro and Anna-Lina Mattar

Polina Golovátina-Mora

, Anna Maria Karczewska

Section: FEATURES

https://doi.org/10.31261/rias.18134

Abstract

On 24 November 2016, the Government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP) signed a historic Peace Agreement to put a definitive end to the internal armed conflict that had lasted more than half a century. As part of the Agreement, an Amnesty Law was adopted, and a definitive bilateral ceasefire and cessation of hostilities were ordered. Disarmament measures were implemented and transitional camps were created to facilitate ex-guerilla combatants’ transition to legal life. However, the successful reintegration of individuals during the DDR (disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration) process is significantly influenced not only by the material conditions and other practical circumstances they encounter upon their return, but also by how they are received within their socio-cultural context.

The aim of this paper is to examine how the graphic novel En el ombligo serves as a lens for the theme of hospitality in the context of the peace process between the Colombian government and the FARC-EP. Specifically, it presents the challenges and complexities of transitioning from guerrilla warfare to civilian life. This research seeks to shed light on the potential of graphic novels as a medium for grappling with complex socio-political issues and fostering processes of forgiveness and reconciliation, drawing on, among others, Derrida’s philosophy of hospitality and Deleuze’s philosophy of difference.

Keywords:

Colombian armed conflict , hospitality , forgiveness , the Other , Jacques Derrida

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Golovátina-Mora, P., & Karczewska, A. M. (2026). Hospitality in the Reintegration Process of Ex-FARC Combatants in the Graphic Novel En el ombligo by Gala Rocabert Navarro and Anna-Lina Mattar. Review of International American Studies, 19(1), 127–153. https://doi.org/10.31261/rias.18134

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Polina Golovátina-Mora

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7686-9699

Affiliation:

Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway Norway

Bio Statement (e.g., department and rank)

Polina Golovátina-Mora is Professor in Film and Media in Education at the Faculty of Teacher Education at Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway. Her research is informed by posthumanist feminism and critical pedagogy and focuses on qualitative, art-based and sensorial research methodologies and pedagogies. Polina’s research at different moments has covered an intersection between narratives, language, and power, the monstrous as a reflection of current societal issues, theoretical alternatives to traditional views of nation-state, urban artistic practices, nature and elements in folklore and their social and environmental meanings as well as questions of memory and creativity. She is the author of multiple articles, book chapters and editor of special issues within the scope of her interests: Archivo Papers. Journal of Photography and Visual Culture Vol. 3 No. 1 (2023), Analecta Política Vol. 12 No. 22 (2022), Vol. 8 No. 15 (2018)

Anna Maria Karczewska

ana.maria.karczewska@gmail.com
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8644-4723

Affiliation:

University of Białystok, Poland Poland

Bio Statement (e.g., department and rank)

Anna Maria Karczewska is Assistant Professor at the University of Białystok, Poland, where she teaches at the Faculty of Philology. She is a graduate in English and Spanish Philology; she has a PhD in cultural studies from the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (SWPS) in Warsaw. She has published papers on violence in Colombia and Pablo Escobar. Her current research interests revolve around Colombian literature, posthuman studies and environmental humanities. In August-October 2020 she was a Visiting Fellow at The Pontifical Bolivarian University (UPB) in Medellín, Colombia. She is a recipient of the Polish National Science Center research grant Miniatura5 (2021) for the project “Medellín: the portrait of trauma and urban violence in the works of Colombian journalists.” Her latest article “Hydrocentric reading of rivers. Waterways in Wade Davis’ Magdalena: River of Dreams. A Story of Colombia” is the result of a research stay in the Colombian city of Honda, at the Magdalena River Museum.