Transnational migration and civic education in Mexico: an evolving story

In recent decades, formal programmes for Mexican civic education have slowly shifted from an emphasis on national identity and solidarity through assimilation to a multicultural (if not intercultural) emphasis on forms of democratic membership and participation. Yet such advances in educational policy and curricula are limited and sometimes contradictory: the recognition of ethno-cultural diversity remains focused almost exclusively on the ‘Indigenous question,’ and ignores not only long-standing immigrant groups to Mexico (e.g., Lebanese, Chinese, Jews, South Americans), but also significant new flows of immigrants from Asia, Central America, and the United States. Of particular note are those Mexican-descendant students whose families have returned from the U.S. but whose children were raised in U.S. schools and society. While we find some promising advances in policy and curriculum, actual teacher training and practice lags sadly behind.