Indigenous peoples’ pathways through different types of Mexican higher education

A legacy of colonialism in countries like Mexico has been the systematic exclusion of Indigenous peoples from key facets of contemporary society, and this is no less evident in the case of education in post-colonial societies. This paper theorises policy approaches that seek to redress Indigenous peoples’ educational exclusion, taking the case of reforms to Mexican higher education. We traced the paths of over 100 Indigenous youth as they progressed through different types of university – we researched their encounters and experiences at 4 types of institution. Through qualitative accounts of Indigenous peoples who experienced those reforms first hand, the paper argues that policy can go some way to creating more inclusive educational spaces, but these are not without their inherent contradictions and compromises, and it is not clear whether they will create more egalitarian outcomes in the long term. Based on these findings, we contend that education policy unaccompanied by wider social change which dismantles the power of dominant groups is unlikely to result in any broader impact beyond the university gates for minoritised Indigenous peoples.