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Article In: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Sustainability (DEIS) in Language Education
Edited by Subhan Zein
[AILA Review 39:2] 2026
► pp. 169–194

Promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and sustainability through indigenous language teaching in a Mexican university

 | Universidad Autónoma Benito Juárez de Oaxaca
 | Universidad Autónoma Benito Juárez de Oaxaca
ORCiD logo with link | Universidad Autónoma Benito Juárez de Oaxaca
 | Universidad Autónoma Benito Juárez de Oaxaca
This content is being prepared for publication; it may be subject to changes.
Abstract
This paper analyzes the narratives of five Ayuuk (Mixe) language students enrolled in a BA program in language teaching with an emphasis on ELT in Oaxaca, Mexico, to understand their experiences and the reasons behind their decision to study this indigenous language as an additional language. We use theoretical lenses on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and sustainability (Campbell, A. (2019). Equity education initiatives within Canadian universities: Promise and limits. Perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education, 25(2), 51–61. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar; Boiles, E., & Fúnez Flores, J. I. (2024). The coloniality of curriculum and the silencing of critical literacies. In A. B. Pratt, K. Donley, S. Hatch, S. L. Tharp, & F. Calderon Berumen (Eds.), Walking away: Refusing and resisting reactionary curriculum movements (pp. 133–150). Information Age Publishing. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar; Perry, M. (2024). Pluriversal literacies for sustainable futures: When words are not enough. Routledge.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar; Reisch, M., & Jani, J. S. (2025). Deconstructing DEI: Unmasking its complexities, contradictions, and challenges. Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 45(2), 250–275. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar) to present narratives from a critical action research project on Ayuuk teaching. The analysis of data focused on two main themes: (1) students’ previous experiences with indigenous languages and (2) the reasons why university students chose to study an indigenous language instead of a modern language (e.g., French, Italian, Portuguese) as an additional language in the BA program. The study concludes that, in postcolonial contexts, DEI and sustainability approaches strengthen the curriculum to develop decolonized ELT initiatives and maintain indigenous language diversity. Also, indigenous language teaching helps students to revitalize their heritage languages and promote social justice by recognizing the value of indigenous languages in communication and education.
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Background
    • DEI in language teaching
    • DEI and sustainability for indigenous language teaching
    • Indigenous language teaching in higher education
  • Methodology
    • Context and participants
  • Results
    • Students’ previous experiences with indigenous languages
    • Reasons to choose to study Ayuuk: Difficulties and proposals
  • Discussion
  • Conclusions
  • Note
  • References
References (81)
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