Diana Taylor poses a question in her book ¡Presente! that, for me, the central challenge of this course:

How to be present ethically, as a scholar, an activist, and a human being—with/ to/ among the many people struggling against a virulent brew of Latin/ American colonial-imperialist- capitalist-authoritarian violence? (Taylor 25)

I say challenge, and I mean that word in two ways. First, I read it as a call to action, a provocation. How can we apprehend and embody what it means to be presente? That is what the readings, performances, dialogues, and creative projects of this course dare us, as students, scholars, activists, and human beings, to do. But I also write ‘challenge’ because this task is not an easy one, nor an unconscious effort. That this course is titled Decolonial Theories and Practices speaks to a process of undoing, a process that is at once intellectual and embodied. Being present ethically necessarily involves a similar practice of undoing, or, in those particular cases in which an undoing is not possible, an awareness of blindspots and shortcomings. Taylor asserts “If being presente demands an ethical engagement, it seems that the terms of my present-ness—racially, through disciplinary training—undermines the possibility” (6). I share these preoccupations when engaging with decolonial practices. I did not grow up bi-lingual and even today my Spanish is defined, paradoxically and at the same time, by an accent that is both gringo or guiri, depending on where I find myself, and castizo. This accent reflects who I am, where I am from, where I have lived, and where I have received my academic training. I cannot help but think, though, of other possible imperalist connotations of this accent.

Taylor explains that “Present/e, for [her], means owning [her] mis-translations and mis- appropriations in a series of dialogues across disciplinary, linguistic and cultural/ national border crossings” and this, to me, is the proper response to the challenge she poses in this text and in this course (ibid.).  To this, I would like to add that being presente for me also implies the formation and maintenance of affective, scholarly, political, and artistic networks. The strength and longevity of these networks that Diana Taylor has collaborated in forming were evident at the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Hemispheric Institute. In many ways, what we are collaborating towards in this course is the formation of similar networks that operate locally and internationally, networks that, through their plurality, diversity, and resolve, may work together to fill in problematic blind spots, benefit from the skills and experiences of the actors implicated, and collaborate towards a deeper understanding of decolonial theories and a lasting implementation of decolonial practices.