Subversion of the hegemonic discourse in literacy and scientific vocations.

Abstract

This study advances a critical approach to literacy acquisition and to the learning of science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM), drawing on classical theoretical frameworks from critical theory, decolonial thought, and gender studies. It conceptualizes learning processes as situated political practices that contest the symbolic power of language. Within the context of a STEAM project conducted with Rarámuri children in the Sierra Tarahumara, the analysis focuses on their drawings of the “scientist” figure and demonstrates that knowledge is associated with care work, community-based ways of knowing, and women as central actors. The study concludes that literacy and scientific aspirations must be understood as processes of epistemic justice, grounded in place, affective relations, and Indigenous knowledge systems.