Paper Short Abstract:

This paper examines shifts in Argentine anthropology through decolonial perspectives. Through a bibliometric analysis of 290 publications and the study of institutional practices in Argentine anthropology departments this paper critically evaluates the real scope and limitations of the processes of “unwriting” of Western hegemony in the production of anthropological knowledge in Argentina.

Paper Abstract:

This paper examines the epistemic and methodological transformations that Argentine anthropology is undergoing with the incorporation of decolonial perspectives. Based on a critical analysis of the discipline's historical complicity with the modern/colonial project, it explores how the liminal spaces generated in contemporary Argentine anthropological practice are allowing the emergence of border epistemologies and subalternized knowledges.

Through a bibliometric analysis of 290 publications and the study of institutional practices in Argentine anthropology departments (2008-2024), this paper critically evaluates the real scope and limitations of the processes of “unwriting” of Western hegemony in the production of anthropological knowledge. Thus, this paper examines whether these decolonial initiatives have effectively succeeded in transforming the dominant epistemic structures or, on the contrary, have remained as superficial attempts of change. The results reveal complex patterns: while some academic spaces show significant transformations in their research and pedagogical practices, others maintain traditional hierarchical structures under a decolonial veneer. In this sense, this paper seeks to contribute to the debates on the decolonization of anthropology by offering an empirical and situated assessment of the actual impact of decolonial perspectives on the transformation of the discipline.