Peacebuilding from Theory to Practice
Peace is not just a theory for Maria Lucia Zapata Cancelado (DPCS 2001); it is a daily mission. As a Colombian lawyer and peace scholar, Maria is the Director of the Institute for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution at Javeriana University in Bogotá. Her work at the Jesuit school focuses on restorative justice and post-conflict peacebuilding. Maria earned her PACS diploma from Conrad Grebel University College in 2001, where she developed an interdisciplinary approach that reshaped her perspectives on law and peacebuilding.
Maria began her career as a lawyer during a pivotal period in Colombia’s constitutional development as the country was emerging from decades of armed conflict. After completing her bachelor's degree in law at the Universidad de los Andes in Colombia, Maria’s interest in peace and conflict grew. Pursuing a Conflict Resolution Specialist designation at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana was her first taste of the world of peacebuilding which heavily influenced her career track. In a country that suffered from mass conflict, being a peacebuilder was a complex and controversial role. Training as a law practitioner gave Maria “a broad vision of current conflicts, violence, and peacebuilding.” She added, “They complement each other.”
After completing her PACS diploma at Grebel, Maria earned a Master’s in International Peace Studies from the University of Notre Dame and a PhD in Peace Studies from the University of Manitoba. Grebel stood out for helping her uncover new ideas surrounding psychology, political science, and religion that her law degree had not previously provided. Maria was grateful for her time at Grebel, as it opened her mind to different possibilities. “I saw different points of view of peace and conflict that at that moment in Colombia we didn’t have,” she shared.
Today, through her position with Javeriana University, Maria is working on restorative justice initiatives in Colombia, creating safe spaces that promote peacebuilding and healing for those in her community. “What I do is help people understand the dynamics of violence, conflict, peace and peacebuilding,” she explained. “Conflict is something that is normal in human relationships, but there are tools and approaches that can help us to better understand conflict and also to build peace.”
Maria specializes in restorative justice in the context of post-Accord Colombia after the peace agreement between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the government of Colombia. One of the main areas of her work surrounds mandates, one of which highlights that transitional justice needs to be restorative. Although, “there are no precedents in this area,” Maria clarified, “so, we have to, in Colombia, do it from scratch.” Ongoing conflict in Colombia motivates Maria to also support and develop humanitarian aid, gender equality initiatives, and local peacebuilding within surrounding rural communities and parishes.
Maria shared about a meeting that she facilitated at Javeriana University where a former commander of the FARC and a convicted military colonel addressed her students together. “They came to the university, they met, and they also had a public presentation,” Maria recalled. “The former FARC commander reflected on the importance in bringing a restorative justice approach during the transitional period.” She and her colleagues put much effort into the months-long process of preparing students to speak with former perpetrators. Despite the history of pain and violence, which also affected many students who were victims themselves, the encounter remained peaceful. “There were wounds open, but people also wanted to heal,” Maria explained. The encounter revealed how powerful restorative justice can be within classrooms and communities. “We have no precedence in terms of peacebuilding, of what we are doing, and we are trying to build a model of how universities can contribute to peacebuilding and restorative justice,” she added.
Reflecting on why scholarship is important in building peace, Maria asked, “How can we be inclusive of different populations like youth and Aboriginal people or Black communities or a former combatant?” During the beginning of her career, Colombia’s Constitution was in the beginning stages of being rewritten. It was the time of historic possibilities in the country. Maria recalled thinking, “How can we use the knowledge that I have in different ways? What possibilities are there? And what else can I learn?” Maria went on to work alongside the Presidency of the Republic of Colombia, collaborating with communities in alternative dispute resolution and community-based mediation. The experience showed her many different developments and possibilities.
Maria finds fulfillment in watching her students transform throughout their learning as they engage directly with real-life instances of struggle and reconciliation. “To see students finally understand what is going on in the country, but also the developments that professionals and practitioners and communities have in peacebuilding is very rewarding.” Maria advocated for opportunities offered through the university, specifically Javeriana University’s collaborations between communities, universities, professors, and students. “We can work together, exchange points of view and knowledge,” she added.
Maria’s guidance for future peacebuilders is to balance academic excellence with true connection. “You need to be able to connect with people,” the professor encouraged. “Be able to read and process and understand all the information that you have read, then put it in contact with real human beings.” Maria also noted that “people have preconceptions that come from their education, culture, fake news, etc.” She continued, “It is not that people are bad, no, this is the evolution of conflict, this is what happened in Colombia. This is what will happen if we do not change our path of violence.”
She reminisced about her time in Canada while explaining that students at the University of Waterloo should not take their peaceful country for granted. “There are a lot of scholarship opportunities and experiences that are important to learn and to replicate.” Maria highlighted the importance of scholarship saying, “You need to be able to have criteria.” She further explained that understanding motivations, concepts, and tools in the peace and conflict studies sector is the cornerstone of successful fieldwork.
Maria Lucia Zapata Cancelado has spent her life studying and building peace. From Bogotá to Waterloo, she has promoted peace through conversation, justice, and compassion. Her story reflects the values of Conrad Grebel University College. Maria’s academic career displays the impact of an education at the College, where learning encourages real-world change and action. As she continues her work promoting restorative justice in Colombia, she reminds those around her that peacebuilding begins with exchanging points of view.
