Colombia and the struggle for social justice

Abstract

This chapter focuses on inclusive education in Colombia. In mainstream Northern literature, there is shortage of critical work on this Southern country. Inclusive education is a concept born in the North, and in different contexts it is shaped by various local factors. Colombia has adopted global goals and international policies calling for inclusive education, but it remains a challenging context, characterised by postcolonial social hierarchies, extreme economic inequality, corruption and poverty, and scared by its over 50 year-long internal conflict. Evidence clearly shows that Colombia faces a complex humanitarian crisis due to conflict, violence, human rights violations and natural disasters, which have resulted in the second highest number of internally displaced people worldwide. These local heterogeneities make Colombia an intriguing case study on the inclusion in education of vulnerable and marginalised populations, for example, disabled children, children of indigenous decent and girls. The aim of this chapter is twofold: firstly, to critically discuss the historical, economic, sociocultural and geopolitical specificities that shape inclusive education policy and practice in the Colombian context, and, secondly, to help decolonise inclusive education by framing this concept in a way that is relevant to Colombia’s current challenges and opportunities.