El estatuto legal y social de las lenguas en la educación indígena mexicana

Abstract

This article reflects on the manner in which immersion of indigenous languages in legal and social standards confers a particular dynamic on formal education for a broad sector of the Mexican population. The questions asked in this work are; how is the established legal system translated into the framework of indigenous education? How should indigenous representation be introduced into formal education designed for indigenous people? In order to approach these questions, official documents relating to the issue, census data, and certain theoretical-methodological elements of education, the science of language and anthropology were examined. The basic premises of this study are: 1) The rise of indigenous movements has dealt a blow to multicultural and assimilationist stances, 2) the indigenous nations have become social actors on the political stage, and 3) the indigenous issue is not a marginal problem. Government reform and participation in civil society is called for. An analysis based on the imaginary formation category proposed by Michel Pécheux allows a self-characterization of the indigenous person; of the other, whether indigenous or not, and of the reference, i.e. language and culture. From this it is concluded that a reformulation of regulations that recognizes cultural diversity is necessary in accordance with the needs of different indigenous groups.