Roundtable | Indigenous Education, Racism, Territorial Autonomy and Forced Disappearances in Latin America: Learning from the Otros Saberes Perspective
Roundtable | Indigenous Education, Racism, Territorial Autonomy and Forced Disappearances in Latin America: Learning from the Otros Saberes Perspective
Wednesday, May 21, 20254:30 PM - 6:00 PM (Pacific)
Encina Hall, Ground Floor, East Wing
616 Jane Stanford Way, Stanford, CA 94305
The Council of the Otros Saberes (Other Knowledges) will share findings from a set of research projects examining indigenous education, racism and territorial autonomy, and forms of violence, including forced disappearances in Latin America.
Over the past two decades, a significant shift in Latin American Studies has been the incorporation of alternative forms of knowledge, especially those produced outside traditional academic institutions. Activists, social movement participants, indigenous communities, and Afro-descendant networks are generating what is known as Otros Saberes (Other Knowledges). These perspectives often challenge dominant epistemologies, disciplinary methods, and teaching practices.
The Otros Saberes approach has enriched both research and pedagogy by introducing new questions and ideas from the Global South, broadening academic debates, particularly in anthropology and the humanities, by centering diverse, situated knowledge. However, these conversations have been largely absent from fields such as poverty studies, global development, and policymaking, which are often grounded in positivist traditions of economics, sociology, and political science.
This event is co-sponsored by CDDRL, the Center for Latin American Studies, and the King Center on Global Development.
Introduction — Learning from the Otros Saberes Perspective:
- Diana Gómez Correal, Independent Scholar, former Vice-minister for Women at the Ministry for Equality and Equity, Colombia
- Rocío del Pilar Moreno, Centro Universitario de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades (CUCSH) at the Universidad de Guadalajara, Mexico
Rapporteur Report of the Stanford Workshop:
- Aida Hernández, Professor and Senior Researcher at the Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios Superiores en Antropología Social, CIESAS, Mexico
- Alberto Díaz-Cayeros, Senior Fellow, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University, USA
Invitation to the Encuentros in San Francisco 2025 and Paris 2026:
- Sabrina Melenotte, Research Fellow at the Institut de recherche pour le développement (IRD), CNRS - IRD - Université Paris Cité, France
On Thursday, May 22, the day after the Stanford panel, you are invited to attend the Quinto Encuentro Anual de la Sección Otros Saberes LASA: "Cuerpo-territorio: tejiendo miradas desde América Latina hasta San Francisco"
This meeting will bring together activists from San Francisco, California, and Latin America for a collaborative dialogue, utilizing workshop methodologies and community mapping to explore the concepts and practices surrounding the body and territory in the Americas.
Through a shared exchange of knowledge among indigenous, Afro-descendant, and mestizo communities from both rural and urban areas, the north and south, as well as from academia and activism, we will reflect on the role of the body in processes of domination and resistance, and explore the social erasure of those deemed expendable, viewed through the lens of their defiant, rebellious bodies.
The "Encuentro" will be held at the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts (MCCLA) on May 22, 2025, featuring roundtables, a cartography workshop, and a final session with participation of the collective Las Tesis.
Registration is free* and open to the public. Those interested should register before May 10, 2025.
*LASA members must have active membership in the Other Knowledges Section (only $12) to participate. Become a member today.
The May 22 event in San Francisco will be conducted in Spanish with no English translation. Please direct questions on this event to: seccionotrossabereslasa@gmail.com
The Latin American Studies Association (LASA) is the largest professional association in the world for individuals and institutions engaged in the study of Latin America. With over 13,000 members, over 60% of whom reside outside the United States, LASA is the one association that brings together experts on Latin America from all disciplines and diverse occupational endeavors across the globe.