Afrodescendants in Latin America and social studies

Abstract

School curriculum in Mexico has generally omitted or minimized content about or references to African or Afrodescendant populations’ past contributions to national development. Current characteristics of such Afro-Mexican communities and collectives have also been ignored. Despite curriculum reforms in the early 2000s that included increased multicultural content, the history and present characteristics of these contemporary communities are scarcely known by society in general, and these omissions have resulted in the reproduction of stereotypes and prejudices toward black and Afrodescendant people and communities, which continue to have a negative impact on the daily life of black and Afrodescendants people. More precisely, since the 1990s, anthropological research has documented and analyzed the participation of these peoples and communities in the economic, social, and cultural processes of Mexico. This chapter examines the role that recent historic and anthropological studies have played in the visibility of these populations, and in some of the recent achievements garnered by Afro-Mexican organizations and communities.