Communication Technologies and Peace: Epistemological Sovereignty in Indigenous Governance

Abstract

Governance in Colombian communities faces a critical challenge due to the gradual extinction of traditional knowledge. This article explores how the integration of Information and Communication Technologies (TIC) and peace education strengthens community governance through the co-creation of knowledge, with a qualitative ethnographic study in the Finzenú Indigenous Council of San Sebastián, Colombia. The practices of appropriation of digital tools such as WhatsApp and Google Meet for communication, debate, and decision-making by the indigenous council were analyzed. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and participant observation. The results reveal that TICs, far from being neutral tools, operate as a new digital public sphere that revitalizes community participation. It is demonstrated that, framed within the principles of peace education, they facilitate the revitalization of ancestral knowledge. The study concludes that this process of co-creation of knowledge generates epistemological sovereignty in the community, which strengthens the autonomy and resilience of governance, offering a replicable model for local management.