Inclusion or Interculturalidad: Attaining Equity in Higher Education for Indigenous Peoples in Mexico

Abstract

This chapter provides a comparative analysis of two programs that aim to increase the access of Indigenous peoples to institutions of higher education in Mexico: the Ford Foundation’s International Fellowships Program and the state-run system of Intercultural Universities. Specifically, the author assesses whether these programs provide equitable and, critically intercultural teaching and learning opportunities for Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations. While they each foster inclusion, the author argues that intercultural universities have the potential to challenge traditional Western and exclusive educational models by recognizing and promoting alternative ways of speaking, knowing, and working. Of primary concern are intercultural models of higher education that can prepare Indigenous graduates to overcome the colonial power dynamics by which they have traditionally been marginalized.