Abstract Orlando Fals Borda was one of the first professional sociologists in Latin America. Founder of the Faculty of Sociology of the National University of Colombia, one of the first of its kind in the subcontinent, Fals contributed to enriching rural sociology with his recognized fieldwork on Andean peasant communities and violence. In the mid‐1970s, Fals Borda became involved in educational and organizational processes in the Colombian Caribbean region. He created the participatory action research (PAR) methodology for producing new “horizontal” and “dialogic” knowledge together with groups of scholars and social leaders within a community, ethnic or regional group, thus contributing to the improvement of living conditions and greater autonomy. PAR has achieved international recognition among research groups in countries of North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa.