Digital Humanities • Indigenous Feminisms • Environmental Humanities • Amazonian Studies

Lourdes Luli Schmader documentary fieldwork

My work explores Indigenous sovereignty, environmental justice, language revitalization, and decolonial feminist praxis in the Ecuadorian Amazon and among Kichwa diasporic communities across the United States.

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Indigenous Feminisms — Ñañapura (“Among Sisters”)

Kichwa women in the Ecuadorian Amazon

Research on Indigenous feminist praxis, collective care, territorial defense, and environmental justice among Kichwa women in the Ecuadorian Amazon.

This project examines how Indigenous women mobilize embodied forms of knowledge, reciprocity, and environmental stewardship in response to extractivist development and epistemic erasure.

Explore the Ñañapura Project →


Language Revitalization

Kichwa language project

Digital and community-based approaches to Kichwa language learning, cultural preservation, and Indigenous language revitalization in the Ecuadorian Amazon.

Visit the Kichwa Project →


Indigenous Diaspora and Migration

Research on migration, multilingualism, intergenerational memory, and cultural continuity among Kichwa communities in the United States.

This project also explores community-based and participatory research methodologies through collaborative engagement with members of the Kichwa diaspora.

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Environmental Justice and Territorial Defense

Mining activity in the Napo River region

Digital humanities and mapping projects exploring Indigenous environmental resistance, extractivism, and territorial sovereignty in the Ecuadorian Amazon.

View the Sarayaku StoryMap →


Documentary and Public Humanities

Cacao plants in the Ecuadorian Amazon

Collaborative audiovisual storytelling and public humanities work centered on Indigenous communities, oral history, environmental justice, and cultural memory.

View Documentary Work →