Introducing Katherin Tairo Quispe as our 2024 Lippuner Scholar!
Katherin Tairo Quispe is a PhD Candidate in Latin American Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in Native American and Indigenous Studies, as well as Women and Gender studies. She is a Quechua activist and scholar, born and raised in Sicuani, Cusco, in Southern Peru.
As a co-founder of the Quechua Tinkuy organization, Katherin actively engages in initiatives aimed at empowering girls and women living in Quechua communities in Cusco and Apurimac regions. Her research centers on cconchas (earthen ovens) in Peru and Bolivia, looking closely at the Quechua yachay, ontologies and epistemologies they embody and their potential to reshape the so called “green development.”
Throughout her doctoral studies, Katherin places significant emphasis on Indigenous peoples, gender dynamics, and traditional ecological knowledges. Beyond academia, she is involved in socially and environmentally engaged projects in Indigenous territories in the Andes.
Her activisms has led Katherin to participate in international platforms, including the United Nations sixteenth session of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP) and the UN Indigenous Caucus in July 2023.
Her March 2024 Incomindios Lippuner Webinar recording can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_tVQguHJZA