Indigenous languages in higher education: Their attention and use in the Bilingual and Intercultural Teacher Training School of Oaxaca

Abstract

The presence of indigenous languages in higher education has been framed among the linguistic policies and/or educational models “of the moment” and that, at times, have led them to a context of isolation, abandonment and non-visualization through pretensions of incorporation. At present, a double discourse still prevails, on the one hand, cultural diversity is celebrated and constant reminders of a glorious past are made, but, on the other, the richness of current cultures, their languages and worldviews present in many territories is denied, when they are identified as limiting to fully enter the era of the global economy (Navarro Martínez, 2020). For this reason, this ethnographic research focuses on showing an experience on the use and attention of indigenous languages in higher education from the experience of the Bilingual and Intercultural Normal School of Oaxaca (ENBIO), as a training institution for bilingual teachers from the 16 (officially recognized) native cultures that coexist in the Oaxacan territory. The study shows that the educational landscape of ENBIO is shaped primarily through its own culture and the use and presence of indigenous languages in its teaching and training scenarios.