Methodological Innovations: A Mixed Proposal of Empirical-Analytical Approaches and Decoloniality for the Afro-Colombian Studies Chair

Abstract

This article aims to systematize the design and validation of a mixed methodological project oriented toward the resignification of the Afro-Colombian Studies Chair (Cátedra de Estudios Afrocolombianos — CEA). To achieve this objective, a paradigmatic articulation model was employed, linking empirical-analytical rigor with decolonial perspectives. In the urban context of Bogotá, the instruments were validated through expert judgment and Aiken’s V coefficient (0.8), demonstrating an internal consistency with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.99. In the context of ancestral territories with Black communities in Nariño, Chocó, and Bolívar, traces of decoloniality were deployed, grounded in dialogues of knowledges (diálogos de saberes), principles of reciprocity, and community validation. The results reveal that in urban schools, exotifying representations of Afro-Colombian culture persist, overlooking the communities’ own pistemologies. Conversely, in ancestral territories, living pedagogies emerge, anchored in oraliture and spirituality as legitimate forms of knowledge. The article concludes that resignifying the CEA requires an ethical convergence that connects technical validity with epistemic justice and the recognition of historically subalternized subjectivities in the construction of the nation-building project.