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Margarita Marin-Dale Adjunct Professorial Lecturer World Languages and Cultures

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

Languages Spoken
English and Spanish (native), German (advanced), Quechua (conversational), Portuguese and French (reading ability), Aymara and Latin (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 the Andean colonial chronicles, Andean mythology, and Native Andean cultures. 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. It was nominated in 2017 for Best First Book in Native American and Indigenous Studies by the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association. In 2018 it was awarded the Wayland D. Hand Prize by the American Folklore Society (History and Folklore section) 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.

Partnerships & Affiliations

  • American Association of University Professors
    Member

  • The Pre-Columbian Society of Washington, D.C.
    Member

  • American Folkore Society
    Politics, Folklore and Social Justice Section

  • The American Bar Association
    Member

  • Latin American Studies Association
    Member, Bolivia Section

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

  • Massachusetts Bar Association
    Admission, 1990

  • Wisconsin Bar Association
    Admission, 1986

  • Native American and Indigenous Studies Association
    Scholar

Scholarly, Creative & Professional Activities

Research Interests

Prof. Marin-Dale's main topics of research include Inca history and deep analysis of Andean primary sources, such as the Spanish colonial chronicles, and the impact of colonial institutions on contemporary Native Andean culture and society; 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

  • “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.

  • 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.