who we are
The RIGIES Abya Yala is an emerging thematic network for scientific cooperation in Latin America, composed predominantly of women who are internationalization scholars and practitioners affiliated with higher education institutions across the region.
The creation of RIGIES stems from a history of regional academic collaboration, initially articulated through the Decolonial Mate network, which served as a theoretical, methodological, and political incubator for the development of RIGIES grounded in critical and decolonial approaches.
objectives
The specific objectives of the network are:
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To promote the exchange of experiences and best practices in the management and research of higher education internationalization in Latin America;
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To create an international learning community in the field of higher education internationalization, with a gender perspective and a focus on Latin America;
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To develop joint research projects and/or social engagement initiatives among network members;
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To strengthen Latin American research in the field of higher education internationalization;
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To establish dialogue and collaboration with other networks with similar goals.
Among the network’s main activities and priorities are:
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The organization of international academic events, including seminars, webinars, roundtables, and conference sessions, with a focus on critical internationalization and regional cooperation;
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The production of co-authored international scientific outputs, including journal articles, book chapters, and conference papers;
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The implementation of collaborative research activities, including comparative studies and analyses of policies and institutional practices;
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Academic training and co-supervision, including participation in thesis committees, joint supervision, and mentoring of graduate students;
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Institutional articulation among Latin American universities, building on formal and/or informal histories of academic cooperation;
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The continuity, expansion, and consolidation of the network through the actions outlined above.
The identity of RIGIES as a collective of Latin American women internationalization scholars represents a significant and strategic strength. By promoting women’s leadership in science and international cooperation, the network contributes directly to SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 4 (Quality Education), fostering inclusive, collaborative, and socially engaged approaches to the internationalization of higher education in the region.
Researchers
Dr. KYRIA FINARDI
Passion for
internationalization
"What excites me about internationalization is the same thing that motivates me to be part of this network of women from Latin America, thinking together about the potential of internationalization for cooperation beyond geographical and linguistic borders."
EXPERIENCE
POSITION | UNIVERSITY
Kyria Rebeca Finardi is a full professor in the Department of Languages, Culture and Education, a permanent member of the Postgraduate Program in Education (PPGE) at the Federal University of Espírito Santo (UFES), and of the UFES Permanent Internationalization Committee. She was president of the Brazilian Association of Applied Linguistics (ALAB) (2018-2019), and is co-founder and coordinator of the Ibero-American Association of Applied Linguistics (AIALA), and president of the International Association of Applied Linguistics (AILA).
She has experience in the field of Applied Linguistics and Education, with an emphasis on teacher training, foreign language teaching, technology in education, and internationalization.
Your online academic CV can be viewed at http://lattes.cnpq.br/1076562311962755 .
Her publications, schedule, projects, and guidance are available on her website: www.kyriafinardi.com .
MG. Paulina latorre
Passion for
Internationalization
"Internationalization allows us to recognize ourselves through our differences, moving toward a process of understanding grounded in mutual respect and understanding.
I am motivated by being part of a space for encounter, creation, and exchange of knowledge with intellectually restless women, situated across different parts of Latin America, who share common passions."
+56 99553-3112
ORCID: 0000-0002-5962-9546
KEY PROJECTS
NEIES - Mercosur
Virtualization of higher education
ICETEX
Laboratory for the internationalization of higher education for society.
Participant in ERASMUS projects on internationalization and global citizenship.
EXPERIENCE
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Director of Environmental Relations, Temuco | Autonomous University of Chile | March 2024 – present
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To lead, coordinate, and identify initiatives that link the university with various external stakeholders in the surrounding area. To develop and lead collaborative work proposals that contribute to improving the quality of life and well-being of the territory and its people.
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Director and Coordinator of Internationalization | Regional Universities of Chile | July 2014 – December 2023
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Implement institutional strategies and actions for internationalization. Lead work teams. Coordinate internationalization with strategic areas in postgraduate, research, and undergraduate programs. Submit projects with external funding.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Research
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Internationalization of higher education with a focus on non-central institutions.
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Internationalization management
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Internationalization and quality assurance
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Internationalization from non-central contexts
Education
Graduate | Postgraduate
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PhD candidate, Center for Higher Education Internationalization, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan.
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M.A. in International Relations, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.
dr. fernanda leal
Passion for
Internationalization
"When genuinely connected to efforts toward social justice and distanced from the partial narratives of modernity, internationalization can help us envision new horizons of possibility for higher education and for the existence of a world in which different worlds can coexist."
EXPERIENCE
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Director of International Relations | Federal University of Santa Catarina | 2022–present
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Director of the Secretariat of International Relations.
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Professor at the Federal University of Sergipe | 2021–2022
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Professor in the undergraduate program in Executive Secretarial Studies.
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Visiting Researcher | Center for International Higher Education – Boston College | 2018–2020
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Visiting researcher at the Center for International Higher Education.
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Administrative Support Coordinator | Federal University of Santa Catarina | 2013–2016
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Coordinator of Administrative Support at the Secretariat of International Relations.
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Executive Secretary | Federal University of Santa Catarina | 2011–2012 and 2020–2022
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Executive Secretary at the Pro-Rectorate for Development and People Management.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Research
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Content creator and instructor for courses on the internationalization of higher education and official writing at the UFSC's People Training Coordination Office.
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Coordinator of Continuing Education Courses in the Health Management Training Program of the Ministry of Health in Rio de Janeiro.
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Leader of the thematic area University, Society and State in Contemporary Times of the Organizational Studies Division of the ANPAD Meeting (EnANPAD).
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Leader of the "Teacher and Researcher Training" theme in the "Teaching and Research" area of SemeAd-USP. Coordinator of the Working Group (Re)thinking the Contemporary University of the Brazilian Congress of Organizational Studies (CBEO).
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Member of the Research Group Multiple Perspectives on the University: People, Territories and Projects.
Key Projects
University of International Integration of the Afro-Brazilian Lusophony: Origins, Challenges, and Possibilities
Public Policies for the Internationalization of Higher Education Systems in Latin America
mg. anoek van den berg
Passion for
Internationalization
"To contribute, through practical and applied experience, to the education of global citizens, while assessing the impact of internationalization on Higher Education."
Key Projects
My professional experience has focused on the development of institutional internationalization policies.
Example: Internationalization Policy developed at Universidad de Santiago de Chile (USACH).
EXPERIENCE
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Director General of International Relations | Universidad Diego Portales | March 2022–Present
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Leading a team that manages international faculty and student mobility, promotes and facilitates internationalization projects for cooperation, as well as initiatives in internationalization at home and internationalization of the curriculum, among others.
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Director of International and Inter-University Relations | Universidad de Santiago de Chile | April 2016–February 2022
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Led a team of 10 professionals working across international cooperation, academic and student mobility, and internationalization at home.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Research
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Focus on the development and design of Institutional Internationalization Policies.
Teaching
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Professor of International Relations Theory II at the Faculty of Humanities, Universidad de Santiago de Chile (2020–2021).