Afro-descendant Cultural Knowledge for Consideration in Ethnic Education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15359/ree.29-3.19994Keywords:
Afrodescendientes, Cultura Afro-guanacasteca, Reconocimiento cultural afro-guanacasteca, Evaluación cultural, Pedagogía InterculturalAbstract
Objective. Cultural diversity and social reality operate as synonymous conditions worldwide, including in the Costa Rican and, consequently, Guanacastecan context. However, coexistence does not necessarily imply cultural respect or recognition, especially for minority cultures that are often absorbed, erased, disregarded, or left untransmitted. This study aimed to examine the extent of intergenerational knowledge among Costa Rican citizens regarding the nation’s Afro-descendant culture. It aims to recognize historically and culturally how Guanacaste’s identity was formed. Methodology. To achieve this, a mixed research design was employed. First, semi-structured individual ethnographic interviews were conducted with the elderly of the region regarding essential Afro-Guanacastecan traits and aspects, privileged in their knowledge, using a script of thematic questions. Second, surveys were administered to young adult university students and individuals responsible for the imminent transmission of cultural knowledge (teachers and tourism experts), using a validated ad hoc scale. Multiple generations were therefore included, provided they possessed information relevant to the (re)cognition of Afro-Guanacastecan cultural heritage. Results. The results indicated a slight trend towards unfamiliarity with the core Afro-Guanacastecan cultural essence, especially in more intimate factors, in contrast to more socially oriented ones. Discussion. Without similar contrasting experiences in the area but aligning with other external findings, the study concludes with the sociopolitical and educational disregard for the cultural values in question, neglecting their relevant transmission. It is both viable and justified to recover Afro-descendant cultural values in Guanacaste as a means of recognition and transmission to current and future generations in the region.
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