V International Postgraduate School: Beyond the International Decade for People of African Descent

The V CLACSO International Postgraduate School “Beyond the International Decade for People of African Descent”, hereinafter “the School”, continues the path of the anti-racist struggle, based on the paradigm of Historical Reparation, conceived in its integral, symbolic and material, intersectional and emancipatory character.

The School emerges in a context marked by the reconfiguration of systemic and structural racism, at the beginning of the Second International Decade for People of African Descent (2024-2034). This new cycle begins with the main goals of the First Decade still pending, which compels us to recognize that, from its formulation, through the cycles of public policy, to its evaluation, people of African descent are collective subjects of rights and not merely isolated individuals.

Despite some progress in international initiatives and the momentum of the Afro-descendant movement, the pillars of Recognition, Justice, and Development remain central objectives and, simultaneously, sources of tension. A key point of contention in today's debate revolves around the "International Declaration for the Promotion, Guarantee, and Full Respect of the Rights of People of African Descent." This refers to the tension between individual rights and collective rights as a people, and the erosion of the latter as part of the global polycrisis.

Given this panorama, new scenarios are emerging that demand a de/construction of the anti-racist agenda and rigorous preparation to sustain it. Frantz Fanon's warning remains relevant—its relevance reinforced on the occasion of his centenary—when, at the end of his classic and powerful work "Black Skin, White Masks," he pointed out a path for Afro-descendant studies: "At the end of this work, I would like you to feel, as we do, the open dimension of all consciousness. My last plea: Oh, my body, always make me a man who questions!" (2009, p. 190).

Within this framework, the School focuses its attention on three structuring lines:

1. Anti-racist postgraduate training, from the articulation of the academies and the Afro-descendant movement, with the protagonism of their voices.
2. The situated knowledge agenda, anchored in Amefricanity (Gonzáles, 1998) and in the contributions of intellectuals from the Afro-diasporic field.
3. Influence on public policies, based on the third generation of rights of Afro-descendant peoples.

Questioning realities in order to transform them, from an anti-racist perspective and from the standpoint of Afro-descendant peoples, is the hallmark of our School. Within this framework, the Working Group (WG) “Afro-descendants and Counter-Hegemonic Proposals” is convening the 5th CLACSO International Postgraduate School, which will take place at the headquarters of the University Program for Studies on Cultural Diversity and Interculturality of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (PUIC-UNAM).

• To consolidate a space for postgraduate training and anti-racist action with impact on public policy for the promotion, guarantee and full respect of the rights of Afro-descendant peoples from the emerging paradigm of Historical Reparation.
• To make visible the thought and political action of references, academics, activist leaders of the Afro-descendant movement.
• To contribute to the construction and consolidation of the anti-racist agenda, as a premise for the successful realization of the Second International Decade for People of African Descent.
• Promote the strengthening of Afro-diasporic networks focused on combating systemic and structural racism, and the development of emancipatory proposals.

It is an intensive postgraduate training program that integrates critical Afrocentric, Afrofeminist, and decolonial perspectives. Held since 2017, it is currently in its fifth edition. It is aimed at activists and leaders of Afro-descendant movement organizations, master's and doctoral students, and professionals responsible for the formulation, management, and evaluation of public policies. The program's distinctive feature is its collaboration between academia and the Afro-descendant movement in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The central theme of the School is The challenges of the Second International Decade for People of African Descent and the International Declaration of Rights, these being key challenges from the Global South.

The main thematic areas of the School are the following:

• A new generation of rights for Afro-descendant peoples based on historical reparations. Approaches and political scenarios of struggle in the Second International Decade for People of African Descent.
• Black decolonial feminisms and the Afro-descendant women's movement in the Americas and Africa. The de/construction of the anti-racist agenda from an Afro-feminist perspective.
• Haiti at the heart of historical reparations. Experiences and strategies of struggle.
• Artificial intelligence, algorithmic racism and its challenges for the promotion, guarantee and full enjoyment of Afro-descendant peoples.
• Racialized migrations and the challenges for public policies in the region.

The program will be offered in person, with a total of 21 academic hours, distributed among lectures, thematic seminars, and group discussion workshops. It is a postgraduate program that combines academic excellence, the production of situated knowledge, and the development of an agenda for political and social advocacy. Special attention will be given to engaging with the Afro-Mexican movement through intersectional and comparative analysis.

The call for applications is aimed at:

• Young Afro-descendant graduate students, researchers, and educators who have addressed the topic.
• Activists and leaders of Afro-descendant organizations, with an emphasis on women.
• Master's or doctoral students with thesis projects related to the School's theme.
• Representatives of public policy, NGOs and cooperation agencies involved and interested in the topic.

Selection includes both participation in the School and accreditation . The organizing institutions of the school will not cover air or ground transportation costs or accommodation.

An international jury, comprised of members of the academic committee and other designated evaluators, will be responsible for selecting participants. The evaluation will consider academic criteria, gender, Afro-descendant heritage, geographic and institutional affiliation, and social activism, in order to guarantee the participation of students from diverse countries and institutions. The jury's decision will be final and cannot be appealed.

A total of 50 participants will be selected.

The result will be announced on the CLACSO websites.

Those interested should register on the CLACSO website. To do so, they must complete the following requirements:

• Online form with personal data
• Summary of your research project (graduate students) / territorial intervention plan project (representatives of civil society organizations and public policy officials). The work must align with one of the school's established themes mentioned above. The document should be a maximum of 5 pages. 
• Curriculum vitae or summary resume
• Letter of intent
• Letter of endorsement (mandatory requirement for representatives of civil society organizations and public policy officials)

Applications open until October 15, 2025 

Publication of results: October 20, 2025

Certificates of participation will be given to all students who attend all the activities proposed by the School.