Mignolo and Nanibush on Decoloniality, Colonial Wounds, and Pluriversality

In a conversation published in Afterall Journal 45 (March 2018), Walter D. Mignolo and Wanda Nanibush explore decoloniality from distinct positions. Nanibush, an Anishinaabe curator from Beausoleil First Nation, emphasizes decolonization as the restoration of Indigenous lands, bodies, and sovereignty, centering Indigenous ways of being. She critiques the colonial underpinnings of private property, capitalism, and hetero-patriarchy, and insists on Indigenous leadership. Mignolo, an Argentine scholar of Italian descent, focuses on delinking from the Colonial Matrix of Power (CMP), which generates injustices and colonial wounds. He argues that decoloniality requires relinking with the earth and re-existence, not a universal blueprint. The exchange highlights differences: Nanibush prioritizes those most vulnerable at the extremes of the CMP, while Mignolo stresses the diversity of colonial wounds and the need for pluriversality. They discuss the politics of naming 'Indigenous,' the role of nation-states, and the Palestinian context. The conversation builds on Mignolo's 2016 essay 'Coloniality is Far from Over, and So Must Be Decoloniality' and public events in Toronto.