The research conducted by professors Sebastian Granda and Jose Juncosa was published by Casa Editorial de la Universidad Simon Bolivar – Ecuador and the Abya Yala  - UPS Publishing House.

The research "Civilizaciones en disputa. Educación y evangelización en el territorio Shuar", conducted by Jose Juncosa, analyzes how the shuar community was involved in Salesian misión: civilization, evangelization and education. 

Juncosa believes the study shows that the Shuar assumed the missionaries' "knowledge" (schooling, literacy, university) as a tool to make their decision to exist collectively and in a differentiated way prevail against colonization. "The thesis shows how our methods operate in solidarity with respect to civilization, education and evangelization. Although in a differentiated way, almost always there are patterns of social relationship and nature which are hostile to life and nature and are threatening to everyone, not just the Shuar, "Juncosa explained.

The research conducted by Sebastián Granda, entitled "Estado, educación y pueblos indígenas en los Andes ecuatorianos. La experiencia del Sistema de Escuelas Indígenas de Cotopaxi", analyzes the process of Institutionalization of intercultural bilingual education in Ecuador and its impact on those educational initiatives created and sustained by indigenous communities.

This study contributes to intercultural bilingual education because it allows us to reflect about the nature and meaning of the self-education processes promoted in Ecuador and Latin America and their relationship, always complex, with the State. Also, comparative studies of local indigenous education experiences with the educational experience of the Zapatistas or the initiative promoted by the Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca, Colombia can be carried out, and finally the task of reconstruction of the history of indigenous education in the country.

The fundamental conclusion of the study is "that the process of institutionalization of intercultural bilingual education in Ecuador had a contradictory impact on the educational initiatives created by indigenous communities, because at the same time that it contributed to qualify them and ensure their sustainability over time, it ended up breaking its community character and standardizing its education proposal under the parameters of "Hispanic education", stated Granda.

Both research projects enabled Juncosa and Granda to obtain their PhD degree in Latin American studies at Universidad Andina Simon Bolivar – Ecuador. 

Read their research:

• CIVILIZACIONES EN DISPUTA. EDUCACIÓN Y EVANGELIZACIÓN EN EL TERRITORIO SHUAR

• ESTADO, EDUCACIÓN Y PUEBLOS INDÍGENAS EN LOS ANDES ECUATORIANOS. LA EXPERIENCIA DEL SISTEMA DE ESCUELAS INDÍGENAS DE COTOPAXI