The research group “Gaia, the Living Earth of the South”, which has been working at the Santander de Quilichao campus of the University of Cauca, is now opening a chapter in Popayán and is inviting students to join.

During an event held at the auditorium of the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences (new campus), the Popayán chapter of Gaia, the Living Earth of the South was introduced. This research group, based in Santander de Quilichao, is affiliated with the Unicauca research group “Law, Democracy, and Society” from the Faculty of Law, Political, and Social Sciences.

The group’s mentor and research professor, Bárbara González Medina, explains that Gaia, in addition to being the primordial goddess in Greek mythology representing the Earth, is also a theory that calls us to understand the planet as a living being that must be cared for and protected. "When we talk about the living earth of the south, it is because we conduct our studies on Human Rights, Gender Perspectives, and Environmental Issues in a transdisciplinary manner, prioritizing the epistemologies of the South."

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With this vision in mind, the Gaia Research Group has been active for a year and a half at the Northern Campus of Unicauca. During this time, they have made significant progress, carrying out research projects, publishing articles in journals and books, releasing a Human Rights bulletin, raising awareness on International Women’s Day (March 8) and the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (November 25), and now launching their Popayán chapter.

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Given the growing interest among Unicauca students in the research topics covered by the group, the members of Gaia invite students to join them. Participants will receive training in research and Human Rights from the perspectives mentioned above. For more information, interested individuals can reach out through the research group’s social media pages or contact their mentor via institutional email at barbaragonzalez@unicauca.edu.co.

Written by: Center for Communications Management