Self-management of intercultural and community knowledge at two public universities in Chiapas, México

Abstract

This article aimed to explore, within the framework of self-management, intercultural and community knowledge among 57 undergraduate students in Language and Culture and graduate students in Education and Cultural Diversity at the Intercultural University of Chiapas and Unit 071 of the National Pedagogical University in Chiapas, Mexico. The ethnographic method was employed, utilizing a questionnaire and participant observation in the two socio-educational contexts, yielding descriptive and exploratory results. Self-management is understood as the foundation of the capacity of communities and individuals to self-determine and establish processes of social, environmental, and educational transformation, as seen in the recent history of Latin America (Hudson, 2010). This conception enabled the self-management of intercultural knowledge to become a complementary tool within the intercultural model, facilitating reflection on methodological knowledge in understanding territory and community among students. Furthermore, methodological learning in indigenous and non-indigenous communities was documented to strengthen scientific vocation, based on 27 projects developed by the students. Finally, it is recognized that self-management constitutes a theoretical dimension and a pedagogical device that is complemented in an intercultural way to strengthen and transform learning among higher education students, in a world intercepted by globalization in the two public universities.