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Prof. R.D. (Rolando) Vazquez Melken

Faculty of Humanities
Literatuurwetenschap
Photographer: Kirsten van Santen

Visiting address
  • Spuistraat 134
  • Room number: 7.04
Postal address
  • Postbus 1642
    1000 BP Amsterdam
  • Profile

    Rolando Vázquez is a teacher and decolonial thinker. Rolando is "Professor of Post/Decolonial Theories and Literatures, with a focus on the Global South" at the department of Literary and Cultural Analysis & the Amsterdam School for Cultural Analysis (ASCA). He is regularly invited to deliver keynotes on decoloniality at academic and cultural institutions. Since 2010, he co-directs with Walter Mignolo the annual Maria Lugones Decolonial Summer School, now hosted by the Van Abbemuseum. In 2016, under the direction of Gloria Wekker, he co-authored the report "Let’s do Diversity" of the University of Amsterdam Diversity Commission. He is advisor at the Jan van Eyck Academie in Maastricht, the Rijks Academie in Amsterdam and the Textiel Museum in Tilburg. He is fellow at the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven.

    Vázquez's work places the question of the possibility of an ethical life at the core of decolonial thought and advocates for the decolonial transformation of cultural and educational institutions. His most recent publication is "Vistas of Modernity: Decolonial aesthesis and the End of the Contemporary" (Mondriaan Fund 2020).

    Opening talks for TU Delft Studium Generale: 'Decolonising knowledge: what is decolonisation?' and 'Decolonising design & engineering'.

  • Teaching
  • In the media

    Rolando Vázquez in the media

  • Links
  • Publications

    2025

    • Anastas, A., Gabri, R., & Vázquez, R. (2025). The Weak Power of Listening: A Conversation between Ayreen Anastas, Rene Gabri and Rolando Vázquez. In S. Loveless, T. Rennie, M. Søndergaard, & F. Zinovieff (Eds.), Situated Listening: Attending to the Unheard (pp. 95-108). Taylor and Francis Inc.. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003348528-8
    • Icaza, R., & Vázquez, R. (2025). Vulnerability and the coloniality of performativity. Globalizations. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/14747731.2025.2491972
    • Vazquez Melken, R. D., & Mignolo, W. (2025). Decolonial AestheSis. In D. Desai, & S. Duncombe (Eds.), The Activism of Art: A Decentred Anthology (pp. 289). Article 3 OR Books.

    2024

    • Vazquez Melken, R. D., Mangalanayagam, N., & Mucsi, E. (2024). Can We Use Photography Against Photography? An Interview with Rolando Vazquez Melken. In The Routledge Companion to Global Photographies (pp. 67). Routledge.

    2022

    2017

    2015

    • Smith, J., Karides, M., Becker, M., Brunelle, D., Chase-Dunn, C., Della Porta, D., Garza, R. I., Juris, J. S., Mosca, L., Reese, E., Smith, P. J., & Vázquez, R. (2015). Global democracy and the world social forums, 2nd edition. Taylor and Francis Inc. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315636375
    • Vázquez, R. (2015). On visual modernity and poetic critique, between Octavio Paz and Walter Benjamin. In Octavio Paz: Humanism and Critique (pp. 99-110). Transcript Verlag. https://doi.org/10.14361/9783839413043-008

    2013

    2012

    2011

    2010

    • Vázquez, R. (2010). Commodity display and the phantasmagoria of modernity: Exploring walter Benjamin's critique of history. In Walter Benjamin and the Aesthetics of Change (pp. 144-157). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230277960

    2009

    • Vázquez, R. (2009). Modernity coloniality and visibility: The politics of time. Sociological Research Online, 14(4), 109-115. https://doi.org/10.5153/sro.1990

    2006

    2025

    • Vazquez Melken, R. D., & Attia, K. (2025). De quién son los sueños que soñamos? In Kader Attia, Un descenso al Paraíso (pp. 22-36). Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo. https://muac.unam.mx/exposicion/kader-attia?lang=en
    • Vazquez Melken, R. D., & Attia, K. (2025). Whose Dreams are We Dreaming? In Kader Attia, A Descent into Paradise (pp. 136-149). Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo. https://muac.unam.mx/exposicion/kader-attia?lang=en
    • Vazquez Melken, R. D., & Vergès, F. (2025). From Representation to Relationality. In K. Attia, M. Hlavajova, & W. Maas (Eds.), Fragments of Repair (pp. 141-155). Jap Sam Books.

    2024

    • Khalidi, H., & Vázquez, R. (2024). What would it mean to restitute to Earth all we have taken from the Earth? Decolonial aesthesis and transition in art, design and fashion: A discussion between Hicham Khalidi and Rolando Vázquez. In C. Carras (Ed.), The Handbook of Cultural Work (pp. 255-229). Bloomsbury Visual Arts. https://doi.org/10.5040/9781350359499.ch-28 [details]
    • Vazquez Melken, R. D. (2024). Precedência, Terra e o Antropoceno: descolonizando o design. In Antologia Básica: Giro Decolonial em Debate Tomo 1: Espaços (1 ed., Vol. 3, pp. 83-105). Universidade Federal da Bahia. https://periodicos.ufba.br/index.php/laje/article/view/60545/32305
    • Vazquez Melken, R. D., & Piña, A. (2024). Theater, Relationality and Earth. In S. Bottiroli, & M. A. Melgares (Eds.), What can Theater Do (pp. 39-54). bruno.

    2023

    2025

    • Vazquez Melken, R. D., & Borja-Villel, M. (2025). Conversation Manuel Borja-Villel et Rolando Vázquez. In Après la fin: cartes pour un autre avenir (pp. 10-29). Centre Pompidou-Metz.
    • Vazquez Melken, R. D., Kaersenhout, P., & Ehlers, J. (2025). Earthnest Decolonial Memorial. Exhibition

    2024

    • Vazquez Melken, R. D. (2024). Knitting as Healling. In Cristina Flores Pescorán-Echoes of Ancestors (pp. 13-15). Museum de Fundatie.
    • Vazquez Melken, R. D., & Campt, T. (2024). Visit Fellow: Tina Campt in conversation with Rolando Vázquez Melken. Stedelijk Studies. https://stedelijkstudies.com/tina-campt-rolando-vazquez-melken/
    • Vazquez Melken, R. D., & Modest, W. (2024). An unfinished conversation with Rolando Vázquez. In W. Flores, & W. Modest (Eds.), Our Colonial Inheritance. (pp. 150-172). Lannoo Uitgeverij.

    2023

    • Vazquez Melken, R. D. (2023). Aesthetic and Epistemic Restitution for the Joy of Life: Recalling Earth, Overcoming the Contemporary, Knowing Otherwise. Errant Journal, (5), 51-62.
    • Vazquez Melken, R. D. (Author), & Baloji, S. (Author). (2023). Overcoming Modernity. Web publication or website, e-flux. https://www.e-flux.com/architecture/appropriations/536663/overcoming-modernity/
    • Vazquez Melken, R. D., & Baloji, S. (2023). Triompher de la modernité. In Style Congo: Heritage & Heresy (pp. 161-176). Spector Books.
    • Vazquez Melken, R. D., & Wevers, R. (2023). La aesthesis decolonial y el museo. Quaderns Portàtils, (40), 1-16. https://img.macba.cat/public/document/2023-12/def_qp40_rolandorosa.pdf
    • Vazquez Melken, R. D., Archey, K., de Roode, I., & Rummens, M. (2023). Decolonizing Modernism(S). In Modern (pp. 69-80). Stedelijk Museum. https://stedelijkstudies.com/decolonizing-modernisms-decolonial-practice/
    • Vazquez Melken, R. D., Esche, C., & Cos Rebollo, T. (2023). Decolonial Aesthesis: Weaving Each Other. In V. Lynn (Ed.), The Soils Project: Essays (pp. 41-47). TarraWarra Museum of Art.
    • Vazquez Melken, R. D., Wekker, G., & Kaersenhout, P. (2023). We Come from a Place of Love. In C. Frank, E. Jap Sam, & P. Kaersenhout (Eds.), Open-Ended Visions of Possibilities: Patricia Kaersenhout (pp. 46-51). Jap Sam Books.

    2022

    • Vazquez Melken, R. D., Boston-Mammah, T., Hernández Chong Cuy, S., & Klein, A. (2022). Positionalities, Potentialities: A conversation between Teana Boston-Mammah, Sofía Hernández Chong Cuy, Alex Klein, and Rolando Vázquez Melken. In Tools for Collective Learning: The Name Change Initiative of Kunstinstituut Melly, the institution formerly known as Witte de With Centre for Contemporary Art (pp. 195-222). Jap Sam Books.

    Prize / grant

    Membership / relevant position

    • Vazquez, R. (2024-2025). Advisor for the collection commissions 2024-2025, Textielmuseum.
    • Vazquez, R. (2021-2025). Advisor, Rijksacademie van Beeldende Kunsten.
    • Vazquez, R. (2021-2025). Advisor, Jan van Eyck.

    Media appearance

    Talk / presentation

    • Vazquez, R. (speaker) (16-1-2025). Decolonial Aesthesis and the Rhythm of Life, University of South Africa.
    • Vazquez, R. (speaker) (15-12-2023). Temporality, Ancestrality and Justice, Research Centre for Material Culture.

    Others

    • Vazquez, R. (examiner) (21-8-2025). PhD Pilot Study (examination).
    • Vazquez, R. (examiner) (16-6-2025). PhD Thesis Assessment (examination).
    • Vazquez, R. (examiner) (11-6-2025). PhD Examinor (examination).
    • Vazquez, R. (examiner) (4-4-2025 - 12-6-2025). Phd Examiner for University of Antwerpen (examination).
    • Vazquez, R. (examiner) (14-1-2025 - 1-8-2025). Member of the assessment committee NWA-ORC 2024 (examination).
    This list of publications is extracted from the UvA-Current Research Information System. Questions? Ask the library or the Pure staff of your faculty / institute. Log in to Pure to edit your publications. Log in to Personal Page Publication Selection tool to manage the visibility of your publications on this list.
  • Ancillary activities
    • Stichting Pluriversity
      Chair of the Board
    • Jan van Eyck Academy
      Advisor
    • Res. Coll. for Decoloniality and Fashion
      Chair of the Advisory Board
    • Errant Journal
      Chair of the Board
    • Rijksacademie van beeldende Kunsten
      Advisor to the Artist in Residence
    • TextielMuseum
      Advisor Collection Assignments 2024-2025
    • Van Abbe Museum
      Fellow for the Soils Project