Farming the rural practice in the city. Rural practices in Medellín as an expression of resistance. A case study in La Honda neighborhood

Abstract

This article discusses the research project Farming the Rural Practice in the City, developed in the courses Diseño Cualitativo I y II (Qualitative Design I and II) in the Sociology undergraduate program in Universidad de Antioquia. Through a case study, it analyzes how the rural practices of an inhabitant of La Honda neighborhood in Medellín represent an expression of resistance to not forget her own countryside traditions, daily life and symbolisms, all framed in a context of displacement experiences that took her from the rural environment to a large city. La Honda just like some other nearby neighborhoods in Medellín, has been expanded as the product of invasions by people who migrate from the countryside due to the strong waves of violence in Colombia. In this regard, a place with particular characteristics, dynamics of culture and customs is the product of different experiences lived by its inhabitants. It could be found therefore that in La Honda, as a ruruban territory, people who live on top of the mountain have a close relationship with peasant activities like farming and breeding in very small areas in their homes, what derives in new ways and meanings of what people understand a city is.