Since joining UTRGV in 2017, Dr. Jupp’s work has centered on decolonial praxes, theories, and histories to support a broad critical vision of transnational-local critical pedagogies. Although he was involved in this line of research prior to joining UTRGV, he became more invested in this topic as he started focusing on critical place-based education in graduate teaching. One of Dr. Jupp’s current and meaningful projects is with Raul Garza (UTRGV Assistant Professor of Practice) and Dr. Francisco Guajardo (Chief Executive Officer of the Museum of South Texas and former professor in Educational Leadership) in a section of EDCI 3335 Social Studies Teaching Methods with Undergraduate Students. Dr. Jupp shared the following perspective about collaboration: “I am honored and grateful to collaborate with graduate students and others, and I remain modest about what I believe I am accomplishing, thinking more in terms of dreaming reality otherwise.”
Dr. Jupp’s current project is a full-throttle critique of whitestream curriculum standards toward decolonial critical pedagogies mentioned above. He recognizes the work is contradictory given that it is situated in higher education. Nonetheless, his work is aligned with UTRGV’s goals regarding bilingual-bicultural-biliterate (B3) initiatives and the College of Education and P16 Integration’s (CEP) framework emphasizing cultural and linguistic sustainability for our bioregion. Furthermore, his recent work with graduate students leans further into local organic critical theory exemplified by Américo Paredes, Gloria Anzaldúa, and his teacher Rolando Hinojosa supplemented by Latin American critical theory and exemplified by Aníbal Quijano, Walter Mignolo, and Maria Lugones.
Dr. Jupp has authored many publications on topics such as itinerant curriculum theory, decolonial discourses and situated praxes, resistant transnational and translanguaging traditions of the Rio Grande Valley, and the multigenerationality of subtractive schooling. However, he remains humble about the impact of his work and attributes any measure of impact he may have to his collaborations with students and faculty. He said, “Please note I am honored to collaborate with students and faculty in these efforts, and it is through their strengths, voices, and ideas that I hope to channel critical organic intellectual work. What are doing is still in the seed. I hope the seed grows.”
In the future, Dr. Jupp plans to continue exploring his existing lines of research by authoring more book chapters and peer-reviewed journal articles. He is currently working on subsequent book proposals on Critical White Studies Reader and an additional book on Itinerant Curriculum Theory with a colleague and doctoral student working on curriculum at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. In summary, Dr. Jupp shares these words of wisdom with faculty and graduate students pursuing research: “Persist on a few simple ideas and convictions across projects over a duration of time. Know you will be critiqued, but when critique is made because of a love of ideas and research, the critique is invaluable.”
Congratulations, Dr. James Jupp!