Different But Equal: Debates in Schooling of Indigenous and Afro-Descendants in South America

Catalog description

This course will be devoted to the current debate on the education rights of Indigenous and Afro-descendant citizens in South American. Throughout the 20th century, most Latin American states have conceived of public education as a means of western standardization of their societies. This has mainly led to the educational marginalization of Indigenous peoples and Afro-descendants. In this course, we will examine the cultural, political, and economic implications of this marginalization. In addition, we will review intercultural education projects in Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru focused on reversing this situation. Sessions will be conducted in Spanish, but students may participate using English, Spanish, Portuguese, or all three. Similarly, student texts may be written in any or all of these languages. The course will include two guest-lectures offered by education activist-scholars from the field.