Orlando Fals Borda

Considered the father of sociology in Colombia, co-founder of CLACSO in 1967 and of the first Faculty of Sociology in Latin America at the National University of Colombia, Orlando Fals Borda It will have a prominent space commemorating the 100th anniversary of his birth in the X Latin American and Caribbean Conference of Social Sciences, from June 9 to 12, 2025 in Bogotá.

Orlando Fals Borda He was born on July 11, 1925, in Barranquilla and died in Bogotá on August 12, 2008, at the age of 83. His figure embodies the image of a generation that sought to assimilate the changes taking place in their country during the second half of the 20th century through the integration of knowledge and political action.

Fals Borda completed his secondary education in Barranquilla, then traveled to the United States and studied English literature and history at the University of Dubuque, graduating in 1947. He subsequently earned a master's degree in sociology from the University of Minnesota, completing his studies in 1953, and a doctorate in Latin American Sociology from the University of Florida in 1955. Two years after finishing his postgraduate studies, he joined the Organization of American States (OAS) in Brazil as a consultant. He then returned to Colombia to serve as Director General of the Ministry of Agriculture from 1959 to 1961, and as Dean of the Faculty of Sociology at the National University of Colombia from 1959 to 1967. In the latter position, the challenge, in Fals' own words, was to create a school of sociology rooted in Colombian realities, through the observation and methodical cataloging of local social phenomena, while remaining mindful of the universal dimension of the discipline.

Known for his political commitment to the working class, Orlando Fals Borda and his wife, María Cristina Salazar, were arrested in the early 1980s for their alleged ties to the April 19 Movement (M-19), when the government confronted social discontent through systematic repression. He was accused of being an ideologue of this group, which he sympathized with. Later, in 1990, when the guerrilla group transformed into the M-19 Democratic Alliance and emerged from illegality, Fals was chosen to represent it in drafting the new Constitution, which was approved in 1991. He then served as president of the Democratic Alliance and, from 1992, as secretary general of the Territorial Planning Commission.

In the final years of the 20th century, Fals led the coalition of left-wing parties, the Social and Political Front, until its subsequent merger with the Democratic Pole in 2006. Along with his work within social academia, he spent the last years of his life reaffirming his interest in combining social research with political action.

In his numerous works, Fals Borda focused his analysis on understanding the peasantry, the changes taking place in rural society, and the capacity of the ruling elite to respond to the challenges posed by a society in transition. These concerns arose in Latin America when the issue of agrarian reform sparked heated debates among intellectuals and politicians.