Indigenous Education Through Dance and Ceremony - (Postcolonial Studies in Education) by E Colín (Paperback)

About the Book

"This book presents an ethnography of contemporary indigenous education through the spirit practice, dance ceremonies, and cultural diffusion efforts of a Mexica (Aztec) dance circle in the United States. The author uses the metaphor of palimpsest to describe several teaching and learning spaces the group constructs with a combination of ancient and modern materials. Coli;n unpacks the group's organizational leadership, ceremonies, community service, education, and dance practices. Ultimately, dancers reclaim and re-author identity, language, culture, leadership, education, spirituality, and community activism. The book celebrates a dynamic indigenous community and their post-colonial resistance to erasure. "--

Book Synopsis

In the first book on Aztec dance in the United States, Ernesto Colín combines cultural anthropology, educational theory, and postcolonial theory to create an innovative, interdisciplinary, long-term ethnography of an Aztec dance circle and makes a case for the use of the metaphor of palimpsest as an ethnographic research tool.

Review Quotes

"Centered around descriptions of the interrelated practices of Calpulli Tonalehqueh, an extant Danza group in San Jose, California, Indigenous Education through Dance and Ceremony makes a significant contribution to the current research literature, especially ethnographies of education. The book aims toward a radical reformulation of what education might look like, as both an intentionally (and intently) personal and cultural/historical project. The project begins to reveal the inner workings of the Calpulli as well as the way those inner workings must reach across space and time for materials and guidance." - Jason Duque Raley, Lecturer, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA

About the Author

Ernesto Colín is Assistant Professor in the Department of Specialized Programs in Urban Education at the School of Education of Loyola Marymount University, USA.