Who decides what is worth remembering? Whose memory becomes the memory of the nation? Through its engagement with public history, Memoria (De)colonial, an educational organization based in Puerto Rico, addresses these questions by interrogating the colonial legacies embedded in commemorative sites and examining how they shape collective memory and historical narratives. Through digital and public humanities initiatives, the project democratizes knowledge production by fostering spaces for participatory engagement, critical reflection, and decolonial pedagogy.

In this event, Memoria (De)colonial presents its public memory initiatives and discusses the transformative potential of public humanities as a decolonial intervention. In particular, they share their project, (Des)vío/(De)tours. This public history program uses monuments, art, and heritage sites as entry points to examine and contest the colonial narratives embedded in Puerto Rico’s public spaces and curricula. By reimagining these spaces as sites of dialogue, resistance, and collective meaning-making, (Des)vío/(De)tours fosters critical engagement with dominant historical narratives and envisions public spaces as sites of liberation, healing, and reparation.

Following presentations by Dr. Rafael Capó Garcia (Founder and Director of Memoria (De)colonial) and Sofía Martínez Rivera (Director of the (Des)vío/(De)tours program), Dr. Eduardo Rivera Pichardo and Gabriel Pita Colón (Research Collaborator at the University of Puerto Rico) will introduce a collaborative longitudinal study scheduled to launch in early 2027. The social psychological study examines how these decolonial interventions reshape collective memories, foster critical consciousness, and catalyze political action over time. Engagement with the audience, questions, interventions, and a general reception will follow.