Can the university be transformed from the margins? Indigenous peoples, Afro-descendants, and the horizon of a sustainability beyond discourse

Abstract

There have been numerous instances in which the Latin American public university has been overwhelmed by its own institutional legacy. The long-silenced demands of Indigenous and Afro-descendant peoples —commonly referred to as PIAH in international organization reports— are once again forcefully challenging the normative and epistemological boundaries of the university. What happens when access is no longer enough, and what is at stake is the very legitimacy of established knowledge? This article emerges from that concern, proposing a comparative analysis across four national contexts—Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Honduras—which, far from forming a homogeneous bloc, reveal fissures, contrasts, and contested policies. Using an intersectional approach that maintains a critical perspective, the article examines both the legal frameworks and institutional mechanisms at play, while keeping in view the supranational commitments made in terms of educational justice. Still, to what extent are the SDGs—especially SDG 4 on quality education, SDG 10 on reducing inequalities, and SDG 16 on inclusive institutions (ONU, 2015)—translating into substantive transformations within the university system? Is it not in the realm of the unspoken—curricular monoculturalism, hegemonic epistemologies, budgetary asymmetry—where the greatest challenges persist? The findings reveal a heterogeneous and asymmetric landscape. Brazil stands out for the consolidation of a national system of ethno-racial quotas, while Colombia has invested in ethno-education programs with community participation. Mexico, for its part, has developed an alternative institutional model centered on intercultural universities. In contrast, Honduras shows an incipient process, marked by fragile institutional frameworks and limited political sustainability. Beyond access, the research suggests that including PIAH in higher education requires deep structural transformations in governance, curricular epistemologies, and the criteria for legitimizing knowledge. Unresolved tensions persist, tied to academic monoculturalism, the lack of epistemic justice, inadequate funding, and weak articulation with traditional university systems. The article argues that university sustainability cannot be reduced to budgetary or technical indicators. Rather, it must be understood as a political and epistemic struggle over the meaning of the public university: its democratizing mission, its horizons of justice, and its ability to incorporate subalternized ways of life and knowledge.