Geographies of crime, control and social exclusion: the case of arbitrary detentions with the purpose of conscription in Bogota, Colombia
I am an Erasmus Mundus Fellow of the Doctorate in Cultural and Global Criminology (DCGC). My doctoral research deals with the biases and assumptions of crime mapping, and explores the use of mixed-methods counter-mapping to make visible concealed crime and harmful control practices. In particular, I analyse the phenomenon of ‘batidas militares’, or arbitrary detentions with the purpose of military conscription in Bogota, contrasting its spatial patterns with residential segregation and policing practices in high priority neighbourhoods. I also explore the historical and cultural factors that enable such practice, the way it shapes the experience of youths in the public space, the official discourse that underpins it, and the strategies society adopt to cope with it, from normalisation to resistance. I work under the supervision of Pr Keith Hayward at the University of Kent (UK) and Pr Gábor Csánadi and Pr Adrienne Czismady at ELTE University (Hungary).
I hold a BA in Government and International Relations (Externado, Colombia), an MA in Development Studies (Los Andes, Colombia), and an MPhil in Urban Planning (Cambridge, UK). Before commencing the PhD, I worked with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the areas of local governance and citizen security, involved in projects in Colombia, Brazil, Panama, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Haiti and Mexico. At present, I am also member of UNDP’s Associate Experts Network for Latin America and the Caribbean. My areas of interest include urban crime and violence, social justice, and applied spatial analysis.
Publications
- Matallana, J. (2010). Equidad espacial en el acceso a la educación inicial en Bogotá. Cuadernos CIDER, No. 22. Bogota: Ediciones Uniandes.
- Gonzalez, A.C. and Matallana, J. (2003). Gobernabilidad de redes locales y seguridad colectiva. Revista Ópera, 3(3), 189-218.