Abstract

SZULC, Andrea. Encuentros y desencuentros en el diseño e implementación de un Programa de Educación Intercultural Bilingüe en la provincia del Neuquén, Argentina. Una mirada antropológica. Cuad. Cent. Estud. Diseñ. Comun., Ensayos [online]. 2023, n.116, pp.129-157.  Epub June 06, 2023. ISSN 1853-3523.  http://dx.doi.org/10.18682/cdc.vi116.4137.

The province of Neuquén has historically had a strong state presence in mapuche communities, mainly through the setup of elementary schools and basic health centers. In that context, the hegemonic definition of identity -which relegates mapuche culture and subordinates it to the provincial and catholic identity- is reinforced, as well as the school’s model of childhood. Anthropological research carried out since 2001 has been showing how some mapuche children, adolescents and adults many times question such conceptions.

After a brief description of the educational system in this region, this article explores the agreements and desagreements in the design and implementation of the current program of Educación Intercultural Bilingüe (EIB) of the province of Neuquén for Mapuche children, examining the guidelines of this provincial policy and the perspectives and practices of institutional, communitary and family agents, including children themselves. Considering mainly original ethnographic materials, the analysis reveals how in the years passed since the original design of the programme in 2001, a new generation of young mapuche teachers has started to work differently, promoting experience-based self-recognition activities, instead of the out of context and fossilized and depoliticized presentation of mapuche language and culture that we recorded in the first years.

Keywords : Indigenous Policy Design; Childhood; Mapuche identity; indigenous policy; school trajectories..

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