NEW ACTORS IN THE FIELD OF ANTHROPOLOGY

Abstract

Amongst the struggles undertaken by indigenous peoples, decolonizing academic spaces has been growing in relevance to indigenous movements and their allies over the past few decades. In the academic sphere, the struggle for decolonization involves exchanging knowledges and valuing the other’s perspectives, thus overcoming knowledge overlaps. Therefore, academic work, research and thinking carried out by indigenous individuals inside academia constitute new strategies to face this struggle. Based on the author’s personal and academic trajectories, the path followed until achieving higher education, along with its challenges and difficulties, is presented, triggering a discussion about the importance of affirmative actions and the possibilities of political organization in academic settings. This paper points out that indigenous participation in higher education allows intercultural experiences and the exchange of knowledges in a way they don’t overshadow one another, overcoming barriers established since time immemorial.