Kyra Araneta

Kyra Araneta (she/her) is a Lecturer in Student Partnership and Social Justice in the Centre for Education and Teaching Innovation (CETI) at the University of Westminster. Prior to this role, she served as the Student Partnership Coordinator on the Pedagogies for Social Justice Project (PSJ) while completing her MA in International Relations. As part of her current position, she hosts the PSJ podcast, co-creates with students, and contributes to her field through publications and keynote addresses.

Dr. Araneta's research focuses on critical race and decolonial pedagogies, social justice education, intersectionality, and the role of student-staff partnerships in fostering ethical learning environments. Her work centers on dismantling contemporary forms of coloniality in curricula, relationships, and research, with a commitment to centering student and minoritized voices in educational values and practices. She has developed various tools for teaching and research including podcasts, reading lists, glossaries, and study groups.

Her recent publications and conference presentations demonstrate a consistent focus on decolonial approaches to education, with particular attention to student-staff partnerships as mechanisms for social justice. Her work spans multiple disciplines including education, psychology, sociology, fashion studies, and political science, all through a decolonial lens.

Dr. Araneta has been successful in securing funding from the Quintin Hogg Trust and the Centre for Social Justice Research. She is set to co-chair the first international Students as Partners Roundtable conference in the UK in 2025, highlighting her leadership in this field. She has hosted events such as the Festival of Decolonial Learning and conducted research meetings with universities across the UK and internationally.

Through the Pedagogies for Social Justice project, Dr. Araneta works with a team and steering group to co-create tools for teaching and research. Her work extends beyond traditional academic boundaries to include public engagement activities that bridge theory and practice in social justice education.