Globalisation And Local Indigenous Education In Mexico

Abstract

Globalisation is often viewed as a threat to cultural and linguistic diversity and therefore is a central concern of educational practices and policy. The present study challenges this common view by demonstrating that local communities can use global means to support and enhance their specific practices and policies. An historical exploration of education policy in Mexico reveals that there has been a continuing struggle by indigenous peoples to maintain locally relevant modes of teaching. Indigenous peoples have increasingly used technology to maintain their languages and local cultural practices. Such accentuation of the local in a global context is exemplified by the people of Chiapas: They live in subsistence-type communities, yet their recent education movements and appeals to international solidarity (such as in the Zapatista rebellion) have employed computer-aided technologies.Zusammenfassung -GLOBALISIERUNG UND LOKALE, EINHEIMISCHE BIL-DUNG IN MEXIKO -Die Globalisierung wird ha¨ufig als eine Bedrohung der kulturellen und sprachlichen Vielfalt angesehen und ist deshalb von zentralem Interesse fu¨r die Bildungspraxis und -politik. Die vorliegende Studie begegnet dieser weit verbreiteten Ansicht, indem sie zeigt, dass lokale Gemeinschaften sich globaler Mittel bedienen ko¨nnen, um ihre spezifischen Praktiken und Politik zu unterstu¨tzen und zu verbessern. Eine historische Untersuchung der Bildungspolitik in Mexiko zeigt, dass sich die Einheimischen kontinuierlich um die Aufrechterhaltung lokal relevanter Lehrmethoden bemu¨ht haben. Einheimische verwenden in wachsendem Maße Verfahren, um ihre Sprache und ihre lokalen kulturellen Praktiken zu wahren. Eine derartige Akzentuierung des Lokalen in einem globalen Rahmen la¨sst sich durch die Einwohner von Chiapas veranschaulichen: Sie leben in Kommunen, die ihnen gerade das Ü berleben gestatten, doch ihre neuesten Bildungsbewegungen und Appelle an die internationale Solidarita¨t (wie zu Zeiten des Zapatistenaufstands) stu¨tzen sich auf computergestu¨tzte Technologien. Re´sume´-GLOBALISATION ET É DUCATION LOCALE INDIGÈ NE AUMEXIQUE -La globalisation est souvent perc¸ue comme une menace pour la diversite´linguistique et la culture et pour cela comme une pre´occupation centrale des pratiques e´ducatives et de la politique. L'e´tude actuelle refuse cette vue commune en de´montrant que les communaute´s locales peuvent utiliser des moyens globaux pour soutenir et augmenter leurs pratiques spe´cifiques et ces politiques. Une recherche historique de la politique d'e´ducation au Mexique re´ve`le qu'il y a eu un combat permanent chez les peuples indige`nes pour maintenir des modes d'enseignements localement

Rural school access and the agricultural transformation

“…This is consistent with the findings of De Janvry and Sadoulet (2001), who found that indigenous individuals from rural Mexico are less likely to work in the nonagricultural sector given any level of education. Indigenous minorities in Mexico often have been excluded from public benefits, including education (Despagne, 2013; Reinke, 2004; United Nations: Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean ( ECLAC), 2014). However, unlike De Janvry and Sadoulet (2001), we do not find significantly different effects of school construction on women's education or labor outcomes.…”

Global Review of Indigenous Education: Issues of Identity, Culture, and Language

“…Recognizing that indigenous people are just as vulnerable as others in society to pressures to make a living, to grow food, and to have new media and transportation options, they see the costs and environmental impact of local trade-offs. Extending this trend into cyberspace, indigenous groups fight for cultural survival, formal recognition, and free exercise of their internationally, if not locally, recognized human rights (Reinke 2004). These new forms of alliance, outreach, and literacy are transforming what it means to be indigenous in Latin America and the Caribbean.…”

Adolescent Literacies in Latin America and the Caribbean

“…In reality, however, the implementation of bilingual and intercultural education in indigenous communities has been uneven at best. Acculturation has prevailed over language maintenance, for Spanish continues to be the primary language of instruction in many bilingual education programs; at the same time, federal control over the national curriculum has remained steady, limiting local participation and control over curriculum content (Hamel, 2008b; King, 1994; Reinke, 2004).…”