Educación indígena y colonialidad.

Valoraciones y expectativas de la comunidad educativa sobre la Educación Intercultural Bilingüe (EIB)

Abstract

This study, grounded in the theory of the coloniality of power, examines the perspectives and expectations of Indigenous actors from the Awajun people of the Peruvian Amazon regarding the initiative to revalorize Indigenous knowledge within the framework of Intercultural Bilingual Education (IBE). The findings indicate that participants positively assess the incorporation of Indigenous knowledge in IBE schools, particularly in relation to identity affirmation and cultural continuity. However, they also underscore the limitations of this approach, highlighting the indispensability of formal instruction in “modern” knowledge, which they associate with expanded access to material goods and improved living conditions. Drawing on the theoretical lens of the coloniality of power and centering the voices of Indigenous actors, the analysis suggests that, while IBE represents progress in terms of identity recognition, persistent colonial dynamics embedded in the socio-productive structures affecting Indigenous communities may constrain or undermine these advances. These findings prompt critical reflection on the limits and possibilities of an educational project that operates without parallel transformations in other spheres of social life—particularly the socio-productive domain—and on the implications this has for how Indigenous citizens assess and value initiatives such as IBE.