About

Claudia Diaz-Diaz (Ph.D.)

She/Her/Hers

I’m an Assistant Professor of Leadership Studies. I joined the Faculty of Education at UVic in July 2022. I’m a settler of Latin-American background. Before I immigrated to Canada, I was born and raised in the territories of the Mapuche people, also known as the Wallmapu. These lands are colonially known as Chile.

My research brings critical perspectives to the study and practice of education. My trajectory is grounded in ten years of experience as an early career researcher, popular educator, and educational consultant in Chile and Canada. As a researcher, I draw on intersectional feminist approaches and Indigenous theorizing to problematize the persistence of colonial and extractive relationships in educational settings. I am committed to working with communities to support leaders by moving away from managerial to more relational and collective approaches to leadership.

The experiences and worldviews of Indigenous and students of colour, immigrants, and 2SLGBTQ+ communities are central to my scholarship. Their knowledge and brilliance are vital to transforming education into a place where educators and learners imagine more livable and just futures while acknowledging the global environmental, social, and economic crisis we live in.

My scholarship focuses on three key areas: 1) critical studies of childhood and youth in educational contexts; 2) feminist and anti-colonial pedagogies in pre-service and in-service teacher education and early childhood education and 3) critical qualitative research methodologies in educational research.

Moving forward, I will be working on climate justice education and the reconceptualization of leadership in both formal and non-formal education.