A Social Anthropology of Education: The Case of Chiapas

Author(s): John C. Kelley

Source: Anthropology & Education Quarterly, Vol. 8, No. 4 (Nov., 1977), pp. 210-220

Abstract

In this study the author examines the utility of social anthropological theory for the analysis of education. The framework is equilibrium and processual analysis as developed by the British "school" of social anthropology. After discussing the most relevant literature, the author proceeds to apply this structural approach to the case of Chiapas and analyzes schools in two ecological zones within this state: the piedmont region of the Pacific Coast known as the Soconusco, and the highland Altos zone. This analysis is based on extensive fieldwork in the area over a two-year period. The study also discusses the manner in which educational policy is shaped by the national and political structure by using concepts from political anthropology. The author concludes that the national educational system has failed to introduce major sociocultural change in the Altos region because it is not congruent with Indian allocation of time and resources and because the Indian mode of production must be transformed in order to produce sociocultural change. This stands in clear contrast with the Soconusco region where schools are valued as a resource and regarded as effective political institutions. The conservatism of the Indians in the Altos region and the openness to change in the Soconusco are outcomes of different systems of adaptation within different ecological settings. The Mexican case is often considered as an example of a revolutionary mode of education. In the case of the Soconusco, education did in fact for a period of time promote and secure the restructuring of society, albeit as part of a more general process of transformation. Patterns of stratification, ethnic identity and cultural patterns did change as a result of agrarian reform; education as an institution reflected and promoted the process of change. In the case of the Altos de Chiapas, education has not been revolutionary in nature but reflects and helps to perpetuate the existing ethnic differentiation and economic stratification of the region. The educational system has had little impact on the majority of Indian children and manages to siphon off the few students who do become acculturated.

A Social Anthropology of Education The Case of Chiapas