Transnational pedagogy of affections: the experience of black women in transforming the academic space

This article discusses the decolonization of Latin American studies from the lens of Black intellectuals. As a case study,I analyze the course I created and taught as a visiting professor at ColumbiaUniversity's Institute of Latin American Studies(ILAS)in 2021.The course explored the role of race in the construction of Latin América and the alternative modes of existence and resistance elaborated by intellectuals,artists and activists of color.The central axis was the concept of amefricanidade (Gonzalez,1988).Based on interdisciplinary, multimedia, and mostly Black references, the course developed a decolonial approachthat: incorporated emoticons into the teaching and learning relation; encouraged us to reflect on our positions in power structures; and loosened the hierarchy between those who learn and those who teach. Thus,the course took on decoloniality not only in the content, but also in the way the classes were held.This work employs autoethnography as both a research method and writing genre.