Indigenous Peoples and Higher Education

Abstract

The topic of indigenous peoples and higher education encompasses an increasingly important field of experiences associated with the struggles of indigenous peoples and human rights movements around the world. It involves the institutional practices of universities and other institutions of higher education worldwide, as well as governmental and intergovernmental agencies, nongovernmental organizations, private foundations, and sectors of various churches. Experiences in this field take place through a wide variety of institutional arrangements that involve the participation of community leaders, indigenous and nonindigenous students, educators, researchers, and university officers. These include affirmative action programs, special degree programs at conventional universities, alliances between universities and indigenous peoples' organizations, state‐established intercultural universities, and colleges and universities founded by indigenous peoples. The development of these experiences—their achievements, challenges, and conflicts—constitutes significant areas of research and conceptual debates in anthropology, education, and interdisciplinary studies, among others.