Indigenous youth: Expectations and experiences at the Intercultural University of Chiapas

Abstract

The intercultural universities in Mexico have revealed the recognition of epistemic diversity and the multiples ways in which they are built. This contribution focuses attention on the experience and expectations of students from the Intercultural University of Chiapas, in the Language and Culture Program, who are born in indigenous communities from los Altos de Chiapas. The database creation was elaborated with Google Form with 12 items, that approach the student’s expectations related with the program that they are currently studying and the projection when they graduated. For these matters, a sample of 72 students from two formative axis, on one side 40 students from the basic training and on the other side, 32 students from professional training. One of the most important motivations for admission is the possibility of speaking any native language inside classes, and the development of speaking and writing skills, while the main expectation is to professionally participate as a teacher, even though the program profile has others possibilities, given that the social imaginary of being a teacher in the indigenous field generates prestige processes.