Ontopolitically-oriented Research on Coca Growing: Integrating Decolonial Knowledges and Latina Feminisms

Abstract

Ontopolitically-oriented research is a concept recently developed in critical drug scholarship that draws from science and technology studies to consider the ontological politics of research practices (Fraser, 2020). It has been instructive for challenging foundational ideas about alcohol and other drugs and thinking through both the political implications and ethical obligations of research practices. This article discusses potential synergies between ontopolitically-oriented research, Latin American feminist theory, and decolonial theory. Specifically, I explore the experience of conducting research in the Global North while remaining sensitive to Latin American ontological commitments. My argument is illustrated through reflections from a research project I have conducted on coca cultivation, human rights, and gender in Colombia. The aim of this article is not to report project findings in depth but to offer a set of reflections on research methods and future practice, incorporating insights from Latina feminist theory and decolonial theory. Drawing inspiration from Gloria Anzaldúa's (1987) concept of “mestiza consciousness,” I explore the overlaps between the ontological turn and the decolonial turn and propose the need to trouble “universal” and normative concepts in research practices.