This article focuses on the anthropological literature produced on Colombian violence, particularly from 1979 to 2010. The article observes with particular attention the work of Colombian anthropologists who provide and develop critical lines on the studies of violence during this period. Subsequently, the article reviews comprehensively the work of anthropologists who have investigated problems regarding violence in general as well as political and ethnic violence. The aim of this paper is to investigate the role of Colombian anthropology in the development and critique of the studies of violence as well as the importance of advancing a critical anthropological account of the ideological, cultural and material outcomes of these studies which have partially promote contemporary state formation processes and the development of a variety public policies. https://doi.org/10.22380/2539472X34