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

Lorena Córdova-Hernández, Cosme Gregorio Cirilo, Mario López-Gopar & Vilma Huerta Cordova
Universidad Autónoma Benito Juárez de Oaxaca

This paper analyzes the narratives of five Ayuuk (Mixe) language students enrolled in a BA program in language teaching in Oaxaca, Mexico, to understand their experiences and the reasons behind their decision to study this indigenous language. We use theoretical lenses on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and sustainability (Campbell, 2019; Boiles & Fúnez-Flores, 2024; Perry, 2024; Reisch & Jani, 2025) 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 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.

Publication history

Date received: 17 May 2025

Date accepted: 10 November 2025

Published online: 19 October 2026

Table of contents

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives aim to develop resources and structural conditions that counteract social injustice and oppression. Through education, national language ideologies have upheld colonial ideologies regarding teaching methods, language use, and choices in communication and instruction (Heller & McElhinny, 2017). In education and language education, DEI initiatives can help reverse racism, discrimination, and exclusion situations (Wassell & Koch, 2023). Globally, since 1990, higher education institutions have started implementing DEI initiatives — such as departmental, curricular, pedagogical, and sociocultural efforts — to address the ethnic, migratory, identity-based, linguistic, and other characteristics of their students (Abrams, 2022; Yanıkoglu, 2025).

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