The importance of Anthropology in the Language and Culture study programs at the Universidad Intercultural de Tabasco

Abstract

This article discusses the relevance that Anthropology has had in the curriculum of the bachelor's degree in Language and Culture offered by Intercultural Universities in Mexico. It presents the case of the Intercultural University of the State of Tabasco, whose main campus is in the Indigenous community of Oxolotán, in the municipality of Tacotalpa, Tabasco, in southeastern Mexico. This was the third Intercultural University created by the Mexican State and is now approaching its twentieth anniversary. The aim of the research is to show how anthropological science has been a key element in the Language and Culture curriculum, and to highlight that this degree has been fundamental in fulfilling the main goals for which Intercultural Universities were established in Mexico, to adress the recent tendency to downplay the importance of anthropological science in current curricula. The methodology used consists of a theoretical review based on the concept of culture developed by indigenist anthropology, which was adapted for the creation of the Language and Culture degree, this is followed by an analysis of the curriculum, identifying recent omissions of the anthropological conception of culture. The conclusion of the work is that, despite the changes and modifications made to the Language and Culture program at the Intercultural University, it is essential to preserve an anthropological understanding of culture. This article is part of the research project: “Indigenist Educational Policies in the Chol Region of Tabasco; from Modern Education to the Intercultural Approach: 1940–2024