Mirna Carranza

Mirna Carranza is a Family Therapist, community organizer, advocate, educator, and a Professor at the School of Social Work, McMaster University, ON, Canada. Her research program is both—theoretical and applied. It is grounded in theories of Coloniality of Power (CoP) (Quijano, 2007) and the Coloniality of Gender (CoG) (Lugones, 2009). Theories of CoP/CoG informs my approach to community engaged research and Indigenous research methodologies. Her inquiries focus on the ways that marginalization is “maintained” within the nation state along the intersections of borders and identities. This enables her to facilitate dialogues, in particular within the context of North/South relations, which guide the work of her research partnerships. Hence contributing to the dearth of knowledge in Canada and in Latin America, to the development of innovative social work education, and practice interventions. The majority of her research is focused on the processes, policies and geographical implications related to dislocation and raises important questions about the ways people and their families are forced into the diaspora. More specifically, the highlights of her research contributions relate to Experiences of Dislocations, Trauma, and Exploitation of Women, Youth and Children both –
in Canada and internationally, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean.