“Paradas” and “Arrechas”: Disrupted Femininities and Gender Arrangements within Bucaramanga's Gangs (Colombia)

This article describes and analyzes the disrupted femininity of women within gangs in the city of Bucaramanga (Colombia) through the employment of a gender approach. We argue that such women, albeit exposed to multiple forms of violence in their neighborhoods, are also agents of violence with a singular identity, which is expressed by performative acts and ways of being and caring for others, in which broad gender arrangements are simultaneously disrupted and maintained. This research followed a qualitative methodology based on ethnographic work and 50 in-depth and semi-structured interviews.