Social and educational strategies of inclusion and exclusion of indigenous peoples in Latin America

Abstract

The presence and recognition of indigenous peoples’ rights remains a profound problem for nation states in Latin America. The aim of this article, written in the format of essay, is to make visible the multiple social and educational strategies (formal and non-formal) developed for the exclusion and inclusion of indigenous people from colonization (1492) to the present (2024). The strategies of exclusion include: marginalization and self-exclusion; forced cultural destruction (genocide); assimilation as a form of cultural dissolution; and mestizaje as a strategy of integration without participation. Among the strategies of inclusion, we identify: participation and valuing of diversity and indigenous autonomy to ensure cultural validity. From this reflection, we conclude that the educational strategies of exclusion have eroded the identity, knowledge, culture and living conditions of the indigenous people and, for their part, the strategies of inclusion, despite their good intentions and achievements, are not sufficient to guarantee the well-being and cultural continuity of the original communities.