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The Tension Between Western and Indigenous Knowledges in Intercultural Bilingual Education in Ecuador

Date:
-
Location:
Lafferty Hall - Room 213
Speaker(s) / Presenter(s):
Carmen Martinez Novo
 
The 2013-14 Joint Anthropology/Linguistics Program Colloquium Series:

Scholars have portrayed the indigenous movement of Ecuador as one of the most powerful and well organized in Latin America. Because it is an identity-based social movement, the preservation and reinforcement of indigenous language and culture are expected to be among its priorities. The intercultural bilingual educational system has been understood as the main tool to reach the goal of cultural survival. However, an ethnographic look at everyday practices in intercultural bilingual schools shows that the system has an emphasis on basic literacy in Spanish and math (and an aspiration to teach English and computer applications) instead of focusing on indigenous languages and knowledges. This study, carried out in collaboration with a team of indigenous researchers, argues that these tensions are explained by the different goals and understandings of the role of education of non-Indian advocates, indigenous leaders, and common people in indigenous communities.