A research initiative led by York University is building lasting partnerships and resources to support community-driven autonomy strategies across Central America and the Caribbean.
In 2024, Prilly Bicknell-Hersco sat on the shaded porch of a house on Colombia’s San Andrés Archipelago, surrounded by seven Raizal women, an Afro-Caribbean ethnic group native to the region.
A PhD student in the Faculty of Education, Bicknell-Hersco was there as the senior research assistant for a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)-funded project led by Miguel González, professor in York University’s Department of Social Science, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies.
The project – titled “Emancipatory Horizons for Self-Determination of Indigenous and Afro-Descendant Peoples in Central America” – is focused on exploring the different forms of autonomous self-governance systems developed by these communities to assert their rights, while strengthening their autonomy strategies and legal capacities throughout the region.
While Bicknell-Hersco was on that porch in her capacity as a researcher, there were no surveys or structured interviews. Just a circle of women – all mothers – talking about their hopes for their children, including maintaining their cultural identity and self-determination.
For her, it was a powerful reminder of how the project differs from conventional research – both in intention, method and planned outcome. “That was very memorable for me: to not just read about a community or assume what I think of a community, but to sit down on their porch and talk,” she says.
That emphasis on collaborative, respectful engagement has shaped the initiative from its outset. The research builds on work González and his team began in 2021 with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights of the Organization of American States (OAS). At the OAS’s request, the York team coordinated with regional consultations to support a thematic report on the right to self-determination for Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities in the western hemisphere. Through consultations with several organizations across Central America and the Caribbean, they heard a consistent message about research projects that involved the communities.
“They told us that they didn't want to see universities or researchers just showing up for research or consultations, but they wanted to see something being done – something concrete, something tangible,” says González.
In response, González and his collaborators co-designed “Emancipatory Horizons.”
Its research goal was to examine how communities assert territorial rights, preserve languages, maintain governance systems and mobilize international law. It would pursue that goal by involving and benefiting the involved communities, focusing on three case study regions – the Brunca and Bribri Peoples of Costa Rica, the Guna Peoples of Panama and the Raizal Peoples of Colombia.
González and his team established three priorities for the project to focus on: self-governance; territorial and maritime tenure rights; and legal capacity building.
González, Bicknell-Hersco and their team advanced the project in collaboration with those groups and more than a dozen Indigenous and Afro-descendant organizations. “We wanted to make sure that the research question, the ideas, the actions of the project, gain the input of these communities and their aspirations,” González says.
Drawing from what community leaders shared while González worked on the OAS report, a key part of “Emancipatory Horizons” includes the development of lasting community resources.
A cornerstone of the initiative is the creation of an Indigenous Data Repository (IDR), which will hold maps, governance documents, demographic data and cultural records – all accessible to participating communities. Another key component is a series of legal training workshops developed in partnership with community organizations. These sessions are designed to support advocacy in national courts and international human rights forums.
“We want to give them the tools to use even after this project is done,” says Bicknell-Hersco.
González and Bicknell-Hersco recently highlighted the project’s methodologies, early outcomes and community engagement strategies at the annual conference of the Canadian Association for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CALACS), hosted at York. The presentation emphasized the participatory methods and contextual realities at the heart of "Emancipatory Horizons," as well as the knowledge gained during consultations across the region.
Raising awareness of the project and its ambitions has become more urgent as, González notes, threats to democratic freedoms and land rights are growing across Central America and the Caribbean. In this volatile context, the project’s commitment to ethical, community-driven research is more than academic – it’s a vital act of solidarity and empowerment.
Looking ahead, the research team hopes to equip Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities with the tools and knowledge to claim their rights and safeguard their futures long after the project ends. By building accessible data repositories, delivering legal training and fostering regional collaboration, the project's goal is to turn knowledge into real political power. Centering community voices and lived experiences, this initiative challenges traditional research models and redefines what supporting self-determination means in practice.