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Photograph of Margarita Marin-Dale

Margarita Marin-Dale Adjunct Professorial Lecturer Philosophy and Religion

Degrees
Juris Doctorate, Law, George Washington University National Law Center
BA, Psychology, with Honors, George Washington University

Languages Spoken
English and Spanish (native), German and Latin (advanced), Quechua (conversational), Portuguese and French (reading ability), Aymara and others (working knowledge)
Bio
A native of Bolivia, Prof. Marin-Dale’s doctoral studies focused on corporate and international law. In recent years, her attention has turned to social issues concerning the indigenous peoples of South America, and she presently serves as a human rights consultant to various indigenous organizations. She has conducted over two decades of research on Andean themes, and teaches courses on Native Andean philosophy and mythology, Native Andean cultures, and the Andean colonial chronicles. Her book entitled Decoding Andean Mythology (University of Utah Press, 2016) is a comprehensive, interdisciplinary analysis of the Native Andean oral tradition spanning five centuries and analyzes Native Andean mythology primarily from a symbolic and human rights perspective. In 2018 it was awarded the Wayland D. Hand Prize of the American Folklore Society for outstanding book combining historical and folkloristic methods and materials.
For the Media
To request an interview for a news story, call AU Communications at 202-885-5950 or submit a request.

Teaching

Fall 2024

  • PHIL-380 Colloquium in Philosophy: Sumak Kawsay: Living Well

Partnerships & Affiliations

  • American Association of University Professors
    (AAUP)

  • The Pre-Columbian Society of Washington, D.C.
    (PCSWDC)

  • Hispanic Reading Room, U.S. Library of Congress
    Researcher

  • The American Bar Association
    Admission, 1986

  • Latin American Studies Association
    (Bolivia Section)

  • American Folkore Society
    Politics, Folklore and Social Justice Section

  • Native American and Indigenous Studies Association
    Scholar

  • Massachusetts Bar Association
    Admission, 1990

  • Wisconsin Bar Association
    Admission, 1986

Scholarly, Creative & Professional Activities

Research Interests

Prof. Marin-Dale's main topics of research include non-Western aspects of Native Andean philosophy, including sociocultural and sociopolitical constructs; Native Andean history and culture from ethnographic studies and deep analysis of Andean primary sources, such as the Spanish colonial chronicles; the impact of European colonization on contemporary Native Andean culture and society and contemporary methods of decolonization; social conflict and the rise of indigenous social movements in the Andes; and contemporary use of Andean folktales as an avenue for social and political protest.

Media Appearances

Her letters to the editor have been published in the New York Times and the Milwaukee Journal. An article on the professor’s legal career was published in the Sunday magazine of the Milwaukee Journal.

Professional Presentations

  • "Presenter of original work titled Sumaq Kaway: A Native Andean Sociopolitical Construct Challenging Western Notions of Living Well."  American Folklore Society Annual Conference, Tulsa, Oklahoma, October 13, 2022.
  • Featured Speaker, "What We Bring to the Table: The Values and Contributions of Hispanic-Americans."  The Arlington Alliance of Hispanic Employees (ALIANZA), Arlington County, Virginia, September 22, 2021.
  • Co-Moderator, Presidential Panel, "Resistance, Reclamation, and Re-Creation in Minnesota Native American Women's Storytelling."  American Folklore Society Annual Conference, Minneapolis, Minnesota, October 19, 2017.
  • Presenter of original work titled “Inkarrí: El retorno del inca y la reconstitución mítica del cuerpo del rey andino.”  American University’s “Colloquium on Memory, Myth and Desire in French, Francophone and Hispanic Literature,” January 24, 2007.