Article

"The railroad" vehicle for the reconstruction of the historical memory of Girardot from the oral accounts of

railwaymen. Case study: life stories of three railwaymen

"The railroad" vehicle for the reconstruction of the historical

memory of Girardot from the oral accounts of railwaymen.

Case study: life stories of three railwaymen

“El ferrocarril” vehículo para la reconstrucción de la memoria histórica de Girardot desde

los relatos orales de los ferroviarios. Estudio de caso: historias de vida de tres ferroviarios

O veículo "ferroviário" para a reconstrução da memória histórica de Girardot a partir dos

relatos orais dos ferroviários. Estudo de caso: histórias de vida de três ferroviários.

Valentina Claros Hoyos

Student of Social Communication and Journalism, Corporación Universitaria Minuto de

Dios Centro Regional Girardot, Colombia vclaroshoyo@uniminuto.edu.co,

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5368-0781

Cindy Mariana Ariza Rodríguez

Ph.D. in Humanities, Master in Education and professional in Social Communication and

Journalism, Corporación Universitaria Minuto de Dios Centro Regional Girardot,

Colombia, carizaro@uniminuto.edu.co, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0039-0013

Nicolás Aranda Sepúlveda

Student of Social Communication and Journalism, Girardot, Colombia, Corporación

Universitaria Minuto de Dios Centro Regional Girardot, narandasepu@uniminuto.edu.co,

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8038-0661

Received June 2020 - Accepted November 2020

Revista iberoamericana de educación.

Vol - 4 No. 1, January - March 2021

e-ISSN: 2737-632x

Pgs 53 - 70

Abstract: The economic, political, social and technological development of

the territories reflected in the world today are narrated through stories that

represent their territorial cultural identity, therefore, capturing these events as

a starting point for the reconstruction of a Memory is essential, especially if

they are told by their protagonists. Reason for which this qualitative

Article

"The railroad" vehicle for the reconstruction of the historical memory of Girardot from the oral accounts of

railwaymen. Case study: life stories of three railwaymen

biographical research arises. For the study, semi-structured interviews were

carried out with three railway pensioners, also, a theoretical triangulation was

applied under the concepts of historical memory, cultural heritage and oral

stories, and finally, an opinion poll was carried out to understand the

importance of the railway and its reconstruction from the individual narratives

of the railwaymen. The compilation of the oral accounts of the three railway

pensioners will obtain the recognition of the narratives as fundamental

vehicles for the reconstruction of the memory of Girardot, just as, such a

historical journey made possible the analysis of the close relationship of its

inhabitants with this, what that achieved an approach to the realities and

practices of individuals in the historical journey for the reconstruction of the

memory of a city.

Key words: railway, Girardot, historical memory, cultural heritage and oral

stories.

Resumen. El desarrollo económico, político, social y tecnológico de los

territorios plasmados en el mundo hoy en día se encuentran narrados a través

de historias que representan su identidad cultural territorial, por lo tanto, el

plasmar dichos acontecimientos como punto de partida para la reconstrucción

de una memoria es esencial, sobre todo, si son contados por sus protagonistas.

Razón por la cual surge la presente investigación cualitativa de corte

biográfico. Para el estudio se realizaron entrevistas semiestructuradas a tres

pensionados ferroviarios, también, se aplicó una triangulación teórica bajo los

conceptos de memoria histórica, patrimonio cultural y relatos orales, y por

último, se realizó un sondeo de opinión para comprender la importancia del

ferrocarril y su reconstrucción a partir de las narrativas individuales de los

ferroviarios. La recopilación de los relatos orales de los tres pensionados

ferroviarios permitió el reconocimiento de las narrativas como vehículos

Article

"The railroad" vehicle for the reconstruction of the historical memory of Girardot from the oral accounts of

railwaymen. Case study: life stories of three railwaymen

fundamentales para la reconstrucción de la memoria de Girardot, al igual que,

tal recorrido histórico posibilitó el análisis de la estrecha relación de sus

habitantes con este, lo que permitió un acercamiento a las realidades y

prácticas de los individuos en el trayecto histórico para la reconstrucción de

la memoria de una ciudad.

Palabras clave: ferrocarril, Girardot, memoria histórica, patrimonio cultural

y relatos orales.

Resumo. O desenvolvimento económico, político, social e tecnológico dos

territórios moldados no mundo de hoje são narrados através de histórias que

representam a sua identidade cultural territorial, pelo que a captura destes

acontecimentos como ponto de partida para a reconstrução de uma memória

é essencial, especialmente se forem contados pelos seus protagonistas. Esta é

a razão para a presente investigação qualitativa biográfica. Para o estudo,

foram realizadas entrevistas semi-estruturadas com três pensionistas

ferroviários, foi também aplicada uma triangulação teórica sob os conceitos

de memória histórica, património cultural e narrativas orais, e por fim, foi

realizado um inquérito de opinião para compreender a importância do

caminho-de-ferro e da sua reconstrução a partir das narrativas individuais dos

ferroviários. A compilação dos relatos orais dos três pensionistas ferroviários

permitiu o reconhecimento das narrativas como veículos fundamentais para a

reconstrução da memória de Girardot, tal como, uma tal viagem histórica

tornou possível a análise da estreita relação dos seus habitantes com ela, o

que permitiu uma abordagem das realidades e práticas dos indivíduos na

viagem histórica para a reconstrução da memória de uma cidade.

Palavra-chave: caminho-de-ferro, Girardot, memória histórica, património

cultural e histórias orais.

Article

"The railroad" vehicle for the reconstruction of the historical memory of Girardot from the oral accounts of

railwaymen. Case study: life stories of three railwaymen

INTRODUCTION

This article arises from the research project "The railroad" vehicle for the

reconstruction of the historical memory of Girardot from the oral accounts of

railwaymen. Case study: life stories of three railwaymen, developed in 2019

in the city of Girardot.

Girardot is a municipality of Cundinamarca located in the province of Alto

Magdalena between Nariño, Tocaima, Flandes, Coello and Ricaurte, known

for being one of the most important ports for the transportation of passengers

and raw materials by rail, as it was connected to the department of Tolima

and, in turn, had direct routes to La Dorada, Santa Marta and the capital of

the country, Bogota.

Figure 1 Map of Girardot, Cundinamarca, Colombia. Source: Arias (2016).

The historical panorama of the Girardot railroad has remained under the

research processes that date back to the economic dynamics of the

municipality and its surroundings. Therefore, the data recorded on the

existence of the railroad at the national level have focused on recognizing

Article

"The railroad" vehicle for the reconstruction of the historical memory of Girardot from the oral accounts of

railwaymen. Case study: life stories of three railwaymen

practices focused on territorial development and the economic benefits

brought about by its expansion in the country, but have not focused on

recognizing the cultural identity of each social group and territory.

The railway phenomenon had its origins in 19th century England with the

construction of the first railway stations, which served as a guide for the rest

of the European countries and, of course, Latin America. As mentioned by

Tatarini (2005), the first railroad terminal in the world dates "from its

appearance in 1852, with the inauguration of the Stockon-Darlingthon route

in the northwest of England" (p. 17), which allowed both the transport of

passengers from city to city and the transport of cargo.

From there, railroad expansion quickly adapted in most

countries around the world as a harbinger of innovation,

economic productivity, and mobility, so that "all of this has led

to the centennial period beginning in the third decade of the

nineteenth century being considered by many as the age of the

railroad" (Kuntz, 2017, p.5).

Thus, the railroad became the greatest contribution to the development and

progress of cities, allowing the mobilization of cargo and people at a higher

speed and with much shorter distances.

Article

"The railroad" vehicle for the reconstruction of the historical memory of Girardot from the oral accounts of

railwaymen. Case study: life stories of three railwaymen

Figure 2 Locomotives at Liverpool Street Station, 1948 Source: Britania For

You (2019).

Undoubtedly, the steam phenomenon was replicated in Latin America as a

way of opening to the new economic and social processes of the time. the

accelerated pace of the railroad phenomenon caused that "Just 10 years after

the installation in England of the first tracks on which a steam locomotive ran,

concessions were granted in Mexico and Cuba to initiate projects of this type"

(Kuntz, 2017, p.11). An event that marked the path of railroad gear in Latin

America, leaving in evidence a safe and reliable way to look to the future

(Figure 3).

Article

"The railroad" vehicle for the reconstruction of the historical memory of Girardot from the oral accounts of

railwaymen. Case study: life stories of three railwaymen

Figure 3 Current Havana Railroad, Cuba, Source: OnlineTours (2019).

Thus, the Cuban railroad is the first in Latin America and serves as a

motivation for other countries:

In 1851 Peru opened a route between Lima and Callao, and Chile the first

section in the northern mining area. Brazil (1854) and Argentina (1857) soon

followed, although at first with modest extensions. Colombia had an early

experience with the construction of the Panama Railroad between 1850 and

1855, but rather late to the rest of the projects that started only in the 1870s.

(Kuntz, 2017, p.34)

As previously mentioned, the first railroad in Colombia was the Panama

Railroad, and in Girardot the construction of railroads began in 1970, but it

was not until 1940 that the first train arrived in the city.

Article

"The railroad" vehicle for the reconstruction of the historical memory of Girardot from the oral accounts of

railwaymen. Case study: life stories of three railwaymen

Figure 4, Skoda locomotive declared a National Monument, Source: Own

elaboration (2020).

In that order of ideas, it can be highlighted that each territory and country in

the world has different ways of telling the story, since their experiences and

anecdotes are characterized by being unpublished and representative of their

social and family environment. However, most of the fragments that make up

the history of Colombia reflect that it has not been told by its witnesses, but

through data, figures and purely official contents by governmental or

specialized institutions at the national level that rule out the possibility of

finding rigorous concepts within the stories told by their own protagonists.

Language has been characteristic for framing the life of an individual within

a society through oral accounts from which the different realities and

experiences of a particular social group can be perceived and organized in

order to describe the diverse realities framed by individual knowledge as a

way of framing memory and historical facts as the main basis for the

reconstruction of memory. Such historicity should incorporate the events of

Article

"The railroad" vehicle for the reconstruction of the historical memory of Girardot from the oral accounts of

railwaymen. Case study: life stories of three railwaymen

the past as a primary and valuable source for the preservation of collective

memory by using oral testimonies as an element of remembrance.

The need to base the history of the railroad on the oral accounts of its

protagonists is necessary to give voice and life to those social actors whose

direct experiences are the basis of their historical memory. The daily life and

their real experiences will serve to reconstruct the historical processes framed

in the creation and implementation of the railroad years ago, otherwise, they

may disappear and lose their contribution to the history of the municipality.

Based on the above, the degree project '"The railroad" vehicle for the

reconstruction of the historical memory of Girardot from the oral accounts of

railwaymen. Case study: life stories of three railwaymen', had the purpose of

collecting the narratives of three railway pensioners from the city of Girardot

for the subsequent reconstruction of the historical memory as intangible

cultural heritage. The importance of this lies in the fact that the stories, being

inherited belongings of the past, their richness and value becomes

increasingly fragile and important, therefore, preserving and respecting their

existence and uniqueness nowadays becomes necessary to tell the history and

progress of a territory and a society, since, in case of loss of these anecdotes

it is not possible to recover them.

This and according to Benadiba (2015):

The importance of oral transmission was set aside by the

professional historians who laid the foundations of what is

considered "scientific history" during the 19th century. At that

time, the professionalization of history began, and when it

became a discipline, historians adopted a method in which the

written document took center stage. It is a narrative history, which

Article

"The railroad" vehicle for the reconstruction of the historical memory of Girardot from the oral accounts of

railwaymen. Case study: life stories of three railwaymen

privileges political and war events, rescuing the great characters,

the "notables". (p.91)

Figure 5 Girardot railroad workers, Source: Cubides and Sandoval (2017).

Thus, the general objective of the research was to reconstruct the historical

memory of Girardot from the oral accounts of railway pensioners in order to

understand the narratives that are woven around the railroad, based on a case

study of 3 pensioners of the Girardot railroad. Similarly, the first specific

objective was to compile the facts that have influenced the historical

trajectory of the railroad from the accounts of the railroad pensioners in order

to elaborate a systematization of oral experiences that allow reconstructing

the historical memory of Girardot, this from semi-structured interviews that

Article

"The railroad" vehicle for the reconstruction of the historical memory of Girardot from the oral accounts of

railwaymen. Case study: life stories of three railwaymen

would make possible the collection of the greatest amount of personal stories

of the 3 railway pensioners.

It was also proposed to describe the process and evolution of the opening of

the railroad in Girardot in order to analyze its impact as a means of historical,

social and cultural development in the region, based on a theoretical

triangulation developed under 3 categories of analysis: historical memory,

cultural heritage and oral stories. In which memory is understood as that

which is fed every day by memories, small or large, that help to create

conductive threads in the mind and projects episodes that can be particular or

symbolic that are established in the mind of the individual after processing

them to be preserved until the person forgets them or dies.

Figure 6. The Amagá Railroad was sold to the Department of Antioquia in

1923. Source: Semana Magazine (2019).

Cultural heritage is represented as that which is inherited from the past, from

the cultural ancestors that allowed the creation of identity in the territories

and that represent what a social group is today; this can be material or

Article

"The railroad" vehicle for the reconstruction of the historical memory of Girardot from the oral accounts of

railwaymen. Case study: life stories of three railwaymen

immaterial. Finally, the oral stories that serve to describe in detail the events

and experiences that each individual witnessed at a certain time, in this case,

with the arrival and development of the railroad in Girardot.

Finally, the aim was to understand how the recovery of the historical memory

of Girardot constitutes an important mechanism that contributes to

participatory communication, by means of an opinion poll that allowed to

determine if the railroad was important for the Girardoteños and if they

considered pertinent the reconstruction of the historical memory of Girardot

based on the stories of the railway pensioners.

Thus, capturing the memories of the people who participated in the creation

and development of the railroad in Girardot on paper will make it possible to

show and portray all the memories, practices and customs lived inside the

train, in its different trips and journeys that are representative at the time of

capturing them under an intangible cultural heritage.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This research has a qualitative approach and has a historical cut as a basis to

proceed to the field research, which gave rise to describe how the history of

the railroad is structured at local, national and international levels and how

from the oral accounts of the pensioners, and not from the experts or

technicians of the economy and national development, the historical memory

of Girardot can be reconstructed.

This research approach was used to describe and analyze how the stories of

the railroad can be understood from a human perspective based on the oral

accounts and narratives of the railroad pensioners. Therefore, the elaboration

of narratives and life stories developed here are inserted within the

Article

"The railroad" vehicle for the reconstruction of the historical memory of Girardot from the oral accounts of

railwaymen. Case study: life stories of three railwaymen

biographical method, that which allowed the case study and participant

observation, that is, conversation and narration as an essential part of the

biographical documentary construction that unites oral sources with a sense

and meaning of their own to show a descriptive and interpretative analysis of

their own lives.

The subject population of this research was taken from a group of three

railroad pensioners currently living in the city of Girardot. These people are

approached to portray their life stories and are the ones who agree to the

proposal of being part of this project to tell and publish their story. They

become part of the research because they meet the requirements set for the

development of this, these are to have been workers of the Girardot railroad

and to be pensioners of the same.

These persons are:

Table 1 Data analysis unit

Victor Manuel

Salamanca

Pedro

Alfonso

Charry

José

Gabriel

Almanza

Age

70 years

71 years old

71 years

old

City of birth

La Florida, township of

Anolaima,

Cundinamarca

Girardot,

Cundinamarca

Chicoral,

Tolima

Date of birth

February 27, 1950

August 4,

1949

June 18,

1949

Company for

which they

worked

National Railways of

Colombia

National

Railways of

Colombia

National

Railways

Colombia

Length of time

in the company

1971 - 1991 (20 years)

1970 - 1987

(17 years)

1975 -

1991 (16

years)

Article

"The railroad" vehicle for the reconstruction of the historical memory of Girardot from the oral accounts of

railwaymen. Case study: life stories of three railwaymen

For the development of this research, three tools were used as instruments:

semi-structured interviews, a theoretical triangulation and an opinion survey,

which were developed as follows:

The research focused on the collection of data, stories and concepts that would

broaden the historical context of the events that took place during the arrival

of the 'Great Giant' (as the railroad was called) to the city of Girardot. This

type of instrument was used to collect qualitative data for the construction of

a specific framework of the history of the railroad for the city of Girardot.

Likewise, it acts as a tool to highlight meanings, concepts, discourses and

experiences to address individual topics of the railway pensioners. This

instrument served for the collection of details about time and made it possible

to identify events and occurrences with a greater scope about the past, the

present and to forecast a future.

The use of this instrument made it possible to discard redundant information

and clarify the meanings of the observation. This determines the variability

of the study phenomenon and helps to validate the information presented to

broaden and deepen its understanding under the three categories of analysis

(historical memory, cultural heritage and oral narratives). The concepts

expressed therein represent and allow a more complete interpretation of

Girardot's historical memory, based on the impact of the railroad and the

stories of its protagonists.

It is an information gathering tool that allowed the collection, registration and

classification of the data provided by 533 people from Girardot who

expressed their opinion on whether or not the railroad was important in the

history of the city and if its historical reconstruction was relevant through the

stories and narratives of the railroad pensioners.

Article

"The railroad" vehicle for the reconstruction of the historical memory of Girardot from the oral accounts of

railwaymen. Case study: life stories of three railwaymen

RESULTS

The oral accounts of three railway pensioners in recognition of memory as

part of life itself and of the individual, which made it possible to observe that

the railroad in the city of Girardot is not only part of the urban landscape of

the municipality, but is also part of the life of the railwaymen (the main

protagonists of its history) and of the Girardoteños who remember part of the

railway cultural legacy in recognition of the importance of these dynamics for

the city.

Thus, oral stories are fundamental vehicles for the reconstruction of Girardot's

memory, being of great symbolic value that promote the social identification

of its inhabitants and of the territory supported by the processes of

remembrance of the railway dynamics from an anecdotal perspective and

personified by the active voice of its protagonists.

It is necessary to study the railroad and its history not only from the economic

or touristic factors, but also from the life stories of its protagonists, since the

railroad pensioners are part of the historical memory of the city of Girardot.

The railroad pensioners remember the railroad as one of the most important

advances of the city of Girardot, since important economic, social and cultural

factors revolved around it, which allowed the municipality to become an

important port for the country, which makes them feel proud.

Consequently, the railroad workers' own identity was rescued in order to

promote the individual ancestral wisdom that allows recognizing the railroad

as cultural heritage, endowed with anecdotes and life history. It was also

possible to collect the experiences of the railroad workers, because as they

are elderly people, it was necessary to collect part of their stories before they

were lost in time.

Article

"The railroad" vehicle for the reconstruction of the historical memory of Girardot from the oral accounts of

railwaymen. Case study: life stories of three railwaymen

Thanks to the theoretical triangulation, the concepts expressed therein

represent and allow a more complete interpretation of historical memory from

the incidence of the railroad and the stories of its protagonists.

CONCLUSIONS

From the general objective of this research it can be concluded that it is

possible to reconstruct the historical memory of Girardot from the oral

accounts of the railway pensioners, since it is possible to understand the

narratives woven around the railroad through the facts told by its own

protagonists, those who for years were part of the railway development of the

city and who positioned in the municipality a cultural identity based on

individual memories and narratives.

Also, from the compendium of the facts and narratives that took place around

the railroad, a systematization of oral experiences analyzed under three

categories of analysis that are fundamental to understand the importance of

the railroad in the city, such as historical memory, cultural heritage and oral

stories, can be achieved. Similarly, the trajectory and progress of the city

under the opening of the railroad and its effect as part of the historical

development can be outlined, since the description of the theory and the oral

narratives of the pensioners allowed for a contrast of propositions that fit with

the conceptualization of each category.

Finally, it is important for the girardoteños the history of the railroad in the

city and that it is necessary to recover it and to constitute it as a mechanism

of participative communication so that not only the pensioners of the railroad

participate in this project to spin the history of the city, but each one of the

people that with their memories and anecdotes can contribute to the

development of the same one.

Article

"The railroad" vehicle for the reconstruction of the historical memory of Girardot from the oral accounts of

railwaymen. Case study: life stories of three railwaymen

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"The railroad" vehicle for the reconstruction of the historical memory of Girardot from the oral accounts of

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