Becoming Neuquino in Mapuzugun: Teaching Mapuche language and culture in the province of Neuquén, Argentina

Abstract

This article explores the sense of belonging promoted by the current program of Educación Intercultural Bilingüe (EIB) of the province of Neuquén for Mapuche children, examining the design and implementation of this program. The analysis reveals how this program reinforces a hegemonic definition of Mapuche identity, which relegates Mapuche culture to times past and to a rural setting. At the same time, the program subordinates the Mapuche identity to the provincial realm, and merges it with the Argentine and Catholic identities in supposed "harmony." © 2009 by the American Anthropological Association. All rights reserved.