Hermeneutics and methodical awareness in cultural research for peace in Montes de Maria, Sucre (2005–2024)

Hermenéutica y conciencia metódica en la investigación cultural para la paz en Montes de María, Sucre (2005–2024)

The article analyzes how cultural management can contribute to peacebuilding in the department of Sucre (Colombia), incorporating principles of gender equity and inclusion. Objective: To analyze how cultural and artistic practices strengthen peace, gender equity, and social inclusion by promoting collective memory, community dialogue, and local leadership, with special attention to women, youth, and Afro-descendant and Indigenous communities. Method: A qualitative approach was employed, based on document review, exploratory interviews, and hermeneutic-interpretative analysis of primary sources (interviews with cultural managers), secondary sources (academic literature and institutional reports), as well as on the results obtained from the application of research instruments. The interpretation was grounded in Hans-Georg Gadamer’s hermeneutics, emphasizing the fusion of horizons and language as a mediator of understanding. Results: Cultural practices —festivals, community workshops, arts education, and artistic expressions such as bullerengue and gaita—function as catalysts for reconciliation and social development. They allow for the re-signification of conflict memories, strengthen territorial identity, and promote local leadership, collective empowerment, and cultural citizenship. The active inclusion of women, youth, and historically marginalized communities demonstrates the creation of horizontal decision-making spaces, fostering gender equity and social cohesion. Conclusions: Cultural management, understood from a hermeneutic and community dialogue perspective, consolidated as a strategic tool for social transformation, the prevention of the recurrence of violence, and the orientation of public policies toward peace and inclusive developmen. The integration of memory, art, education, and community leadership demonstrates that culture serves as a driver of sustainable reconciliation and active participation from the social base, even with limited resources and fieldwork.