Paramilitarism without paramilitaries: 'Tres Caínes' and the representation of paramilitarism on Colombian TV screens

Asoni, Ettore 2020. Paramilitarism without paramilitaries: 'Tres Caínes' and the representation of paramilitarism on Colombian TV screens. New Readings 17 (2) , pp. 1-23. 10.18573/newreadings.112

Preview

PDF - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (251kB) | Preview

Abstract

The goal of this article is to analyse the representation of the Colombian armed conflict in the controversial TV series Tres Caínes (2013), which dramatizes the history of paramilitarism in Colombia through a biographical story of the lives of the three brothers Castaño Gil, the leaders and founders of Colombia’s biggest paramilitary group, the Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (AUC). I argue that Tres Caínes represents the war through a rhetoric that is close to human rights and transnational justice perspectives, portraying its characters according to a dichotomy between victim and victimizer. Although the series purports to take a neutral position in the conflict, and condemns individual paramilitary leaders, it simultaneously salvages the ideology of paramilitarism, and thereby indirectly supports the political project of Álvaro Uribe Vélez. Because of this, despite apparently taking a pacifist stance, the series constitutes a cultural product that works against peace in Colombia, and is an example of how humanitarian discourse can be easily exploited in the service of warmongering and reactionary messaging.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Modern Languages
Subjects:	F History United States, Canada, Latin America > F1201 Latin America (General) H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare P Language and Literature > PC Romance languages P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN0080 Criticism P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN1990 Broadcasting
Publisher:	Cardiff University Press
ISSN:	2634-6850
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	15 January 2021
Date of Acceptance:	17 June 2020
Last Modified:	03 May 2023 17:58
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/138010

Actions (repository staff only)

Edit Item