Please join us in congratulating Catalina Parra who successfully defended her M.A. Thesis on December 9 of 2025.
Title:
A Conversation Between South and North: Latin American Decolonial Theory and Indigenous Theory
Abstract:
This Master’s thesis explores Latin American decolonial theory and Indigenous theory from the North to illuminate pathways for the practice of equity, diversity, inclusion, and decolonization (EDI-D). In this study, I examine four key concepts: coloniality of being and praxis (from Latin American decolonial thinkers Maldonado-Torres, Dussel, and Gutiérrez) alongside cognitive imperialism and stories (from Mi’kmaw scholar Marie Battiste OC and Stó:lō scholar Jo-Ann Archibald Q’um Q’um Xiiem OC). The study is guided by philosophy of liberation, philosophy of education, and Indigenous theory.
Through this exploration, I argue that Latin American decolonial theory provides a robust critique of colonial systems and offers widely applicable tools for imagining alternatives. However, it lacks the land-based grounding that Indigenous thought offers. Indigenous frameworks, by contrast, are rooted in particular nations and territories, emerging from specific lands, languages, and cultural protocols. Their rigor and precision provide powerful tools for transformation; however, their specificity also entails that these knowledges cannot always be generalized beyond their own contexts. Therefore, these two bodies of knowledge can complement each other in dialogue yet must not be perceived as interchangeable.
By weaving these perspectives in what Arapaho scholar, Michael Marker, calls the “alluvial space”, this thesis identifies opportunities for collaboration while maintaining respectful distance. I conclude that we are being called to go beyond the system and that doing so may require nurturing new intelligences and new ways of engaging in human-human, human-nature, and human-cosmos relationships. This might allow us to access the necessary tools to address the multilayered crises of modern education and society at large as we continue the intergenerational journey of decolonizing our future.
Ultimately, I conclude that both traditions when held together in dialogue and distinction provide a strong foundation for transformative EDI-D practice, one that acknowledges the wounds of coloniality, centers the land and its peoples, and envisions liberatory futures grounded in relationship, land, and spirit.
Supervisory Committee:
Dr. Sam Rocha
Dr. Joaquin Munoz
Dr. Dustin Louie
Congratulations Catalina!