Podcast Summary: Orlando Fals Borda: pensar el país desde sus raíces

Podcast: DianaUribe.fm
Host: Diana Uribe
Date: December 12, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Diana Uribe explores the life, work, and legacy of Orlando Fals Borda, an influential Colombian sociologist, thinker, and pioneer of Participatory Action Research (IAP). Marking the centenary of his birth (1925–2025), Uribe digs into how Fals Borda helped redefine the social sciences in Colombia and Latin America, emphasizing the importance of rooting sociological thought in local realities and the lived experiences of communities.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Contextualizing Orlando Fals Borda: Roots and Early Life

• Birthplace & Cultural Heritage: Born in Barranquilla in 1925, a vibrant, diverse port city acting as Colombia’s gateway to the Caribbean and the world.
• Family & Intellectual Upbringing:
  • Presbyterian family with Lebanese and Spanish ancestry, highlighting the rich multicultural influences of the Caribbean coast.
  • Early exposure to music via church choirs and access to a home library (“todas las grandes personas que van a transformar el universo tenían una biblioteca en su casa" [03:30]).
• Early Interests:
  • Fascinated by literature, history, and social phenomena from adolescence.
  • Studied in the U.S., encountered dominant sociological schools: functionalism, conflict theory, structural analysis.

2. The Academic Gap: Applicability of Foreign Theories

• Fals Borda recognized a disconnect between U.S./European theories and Latin American realities:
  • Quote: “¿Qué tan pertinentes o qué tan aplicables pueden ser los modelos de otras sociedades... a nuestra muy particular forma de entender la historia de la sociedad?” (09:27)
• Realized upon returning to Colombia that academic paradigms failed to explain local complexities and rural realities.

3. Transformative Field Experience

• First Community Immersion:
  • Research in Saucío (Chocontá, Cundinamarca) revealed:
    • Local knowledge and organization didn’t fit imported theoretical models.
    • “Las comunidades tienen sus propios saberes, sus propios análisis, sus propios conocimientos [...] esto es una cosa interactiva, ellos me enseñan a mí y yo les enseño a ellos.” (12:37)
• Methodological Shift:
  • Abandoned detached observation; embraced participatory, empathetic engagement—playing soccer, tejo, singing with locals.

4. Colombia’s Violent Backdrop

• La Violencia:
  • The country was mired in deep social conflict, particularly after the assassination of Jorge Eliécer Gaitán (1948).
  • Fals Borda witnessed the Bogotazo from Barranquilla, sending messages of hope amidst chaos (“él era pacifista, estuvo con la paz” [16:54]).

5. Academic Milestones and Institutional Leadership

• Pioneering Sociological Education:

  • Created Colombia’s first sociology degree at Universidad Nacional with Mario Laserna, Camilo Torres, and Eduardo Umaña Luna.
  • Fostered critical reflection on the disconnect between theory and community realities; emphasized collaborative, participatory approaches.

• Quote:

  • "El conocimiento debía construirse desde las experiencias concretas." (24:49)

6. Participatory Action Research (IAP): A Methodological Revolution

• Conceptual Breakthrough:

  • Communities are not objects but co-producers of knowledge.
  • Led to the IAP model which “establecería una interacción, romper el distanciamiento que tenía el investigador con la comunidad…” (27:00)

• Sentipensante:

  • The concept of “thinking-feeling,” a balance of intellect and emotion in understanding reality, inspired by a fisherman in the Ciénaga.
  • “Que uno no solamente debe pensar con la racionalidad, ni solamente sentir con el corazón, sino pensar y sentir.” (28:41)

• Controversy & Legacy:

  • Faced academic criticism for perceived lack of objectivity; nonetheless, IAP became foundational for education and social work across Latin America, with influence reaching Paulo Freire.

7. Major Works and Impact

• La violencia en Colombia (1962):
  • Co-authored with Monseñor Guzmán and Eduardo Umaña Luna; first rigorous documentation of "La Violencia."
  • Uribe describes the original edition's photos as “una cosa muy brava porque eran formas terribles de crueldad…” (36:39)
• Historia doble de la costa:
  • An innovative book with dual “channels”: one narrative and musical, one analytical ("escrito en dos canales, un canal A y un canal B," [41:31]).
  • Developed the metaphor of Colombia as a “cultura anfibia” (amphibious culture) and the “hombre icotea” (resilient, joyful like the local turtle).

8. Political and Social Engagement

• Relationship with Camilo Torres:
  • Joint academic and social action until Torres joined the ELN (guerrilla); Fals Borda remained committed to nonviolent, participatory social change.
• Constituent Assembly of 1991:
  • Participated as M-19’s representative, contributing to Colombia’s constitutional recognition of its pluriethnic and multicultural identity (“La Constitución que cambia la idea de un país… como un país pluriétnico, multicultural, diverso” [39:36])
• Engagement with Popular Movements:
  • Supported and collaborated with campesino organizations and co-founded the influential magazine “Alternativa” with Gabriel García Márquez (“Atreverse a pensar es comenzar a luchar.”)

9. Intellectual Independence and Accessibility

• Advocated for “propia ciencia” (autochthonous science) and intellectual decolonization:
  • “Empezó a hablar del colonialismo intelectual… debemos ajustar a nuestras propias realidades las teorías…” (48:20)
• Sought to make sociological jargon accessible so research could empower communities, not just the academy.

10. Legacy and Final Reflection

• Orlando Fals Borda died peacefully in 2008, recognized and referenced across disciplines and movements.
• His life and work remain essential for understanding the social sciences in Colombia and Latin America.
• Closing Quote:
  • "No se puede desconocer la obra de Orlando Fals Borda si queremos entender a Colombia y si queremos entender América Latina." (52:35)

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On learned and lived knowledge:
  • “Las comunidades tienen sus propios saberes… uno no puede desconocer sus propios conocimientos en el estudio de ellos. Esto es una cosa interactiva, ellos me enseñan a mí y yo les enseño a ellos.” — Diana Uribe (12:37)
• On the birth of IAP and intellectual humility:
  • “A esta metodología revolucionaria que abre puertas nunca antes abiertas para entender la realidad tan compleja… la llamamos Investigación de Acción Participativa, IAP, ahora que están de moda las siglas.” (27:31)
• On thinking-feeling (“sentipensante”):
  • “Sentir y pensar, que uno no solamente debe pensar con la racionalidad ni solamente sentir con el corazón, sino pensar y sentir.” (28:41)
• On Colombia’s amphibious culture:
  • “Este es un país fundamentalmente rodeado de aguas… él habla de la creación… de la cultura anfibia y del hombre icotea, pues resultan sumamente cuestionables para los académicos…” (45:11)
• On intellectual decolonization:
  • “Empezó a hablar del colonialismo intelectual, en donde dice que los latinoamericanos debemos ajustar a nuestras propias realidades las teorías que se están manejando en otras sociedades, como en Europa y como en Estados Unidos…” (48:20)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:37] Introduction to Orlando Fals Borda and his centenary
• [09:27] Discussion of academic models versus Latin American reality
• [12:37] Immersive fieldwork and the value of community knowledge
• [16:54] Commitment to peace and reaction to La Violencia
• [24:49] Founding sociology at the Universidad Nacional & academic leadership
• [27:31] Participatory Action Research (IAP) explained
• [28:41] “Sentipensante” (thinking-feeling) concept
• [36:39] “La violencia en Colombia” and its significance
• [41:31] “Historia doble de la costa,” the amphibious culture, hombre icotea
• [45:11] Intellectual decolonization and accessible language
• [52:35] Closing reflections on Fals Borda’s enduring legacy

Conclusion

Through vivid storytelling, historical analysis, and poetic moments, Diana Uribe celebrates Orlando Fals Borda as a foundational figure in understanding and transforming Colombian society. His legacy is one of methodological innovation, humanistic engagement, and a radical commitment to learning from—and with—the people. This episode invites the listener not just to remember Fals Borda, but to think and feel with him in the ongoing work of interpreting and improving the world from our own roots.