Learning and unlearning in Zapatista autonomous education: an experience of Participatory Action Research

Abstract

In the context of the Zapatista struggle, Zapatista Autonomous Education has been pro-moted and is presented as an alternative to the Mexican educational model, co-designed according to the needs and forms of self-government of the Zapatista communities, where knowledge and learning are situated and collective. It seeks to critically interpret the learning and unlearning coming from a Participatory Action Research experience in a Tzeltal community in Chiapas, in order to contribute to the conceptualization of Education for World Citizenship from grassroots groups in the global South. The findings contrast new autonomous educational practices with academic literature and field experiences in a Zapatista community, highlighting the need to unlearn Western conceptions of educa-tion and knowledge production. Accompanying the daily life of the community allows us to understand how collective autonomy is exercised in a Zapatista territory, challenging conventional educational models.