Fausto Reinaga on education. An outline

Abstract

Fausto Reinaga (1906-1994) from Bolivia is considered one of the most important «indio» thinkers of decolonization. After delineating some outlines of a psychology of decolonization and brief notes on life and work of Reinaga three of his writings belonging to different phases of his intellectual production are analyzed with particular attention to his concept of education: Franz Tamayo y la revolución boliviana (1956), La revolución india (1970/2007) and América india y occidente (1974/2014). The readings show different aspects of Reinaga’s concept of education in and for Bolivia/Indoamérica as for example a severe critique towards (rural) school or an alphabetization in Spanish and efforts to improve «indio» self-esteem taking off from a re-reading of Bolivian history as an «heroic “indio” epic». These and related aspects are discussed in reference to the different phases of Reinaga’s work and indigenist discourses. Although Reinaga is an indianist thinker who criticizes severely indigenist discourses he also shares some of their central ideas.

Keywords

• fausto reinaga
• indianismo
• indigenismo
• bolivia
• descolonización
• educación