Postcolonialism and decolonization theories frame this study of ISLs in rural Guatemalan communities. Postcolonialism, as a theoretical construct, attempts to analyse and explain the impact of colonialism through thinking and writing “about the cultural and political identities of colonized subjects” (Gandhi, 1989, p.5). Postcolonialism provides a framework to examine power relations that inscribe race and ethnicity through the use of hegemonic state systems such as education. Postcolonialism is an appropriate framework for this study because the host communities have been detrimentally impacted by colonialism and the imposition of Western Eurocentrism on their cultural practices. As a result of marginalization and discrimination exacerbated by political conflict and violence, many of these communities have been forced “to drop out and reside in ‘internal colonies’ with little or no hope of upward mobility” (Kanu, 2006, p. 8). These communities have responded to this internal colonization through the creation of grassroots organizations aimed at improving communities through the creation of employment, improved education, food security, and health measures. These initiatives may be seen as attempts at decolonization as communities seek self-determination and reclaim identities. Zavala (2013) notes that these grassroots collectives are “spaces of recovery, healing, and development” (p. 56). Decolonization in this context is also concerned with research methodology and argues for approaches that disrupt “the hierarchical relation of power that privileges academic over local, Indigenous knowledges and the production of knowledge that has very little practical value” (p. 57) to local communities. Our research attempts to capture the voices of the communities as they attempt to disrupt the power imbalance caused by colonialism. While ISLs bring valuable and much needed resources to the communities, ISL practitioners have not always asked the community members for their input into the issues. This research gives voice to the participating communities.

Gandhi, L. (1989). Postcolonial theory: A critical introduction. New York, NY: Columbia University Press. Kanu, Y. (2006). Curriculum as cultural practice: Postcolonial imaginations. Toronto. ON: University of Toronto Press. Zavala, M. (2013). What do we mean by decolonizing research strategies? Lessons from decolonizing Indigenous research projects in New Zealand and Latin America. Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education, and Society, 2(1), np.