EDUCAÇÃO SUPERIOR E POVOS ORIGINÁRIOS NA FRONTEIRA FRANCO-BRASILEIRA CONTEMPORÂNEA:

UM OLHAR SOBRE A PRODUÇÃO EPISTÊMICA DO CURSO DE LICENCIATURA INTERCULTURAL INDÍGENA DA UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DO AMAPÁ

Abstract

This article analyzes the challenges and achievements in implementing the right to higher education for Indigenous peoples on the French-Brazilian border, using the Intercultural Indigenous Teaching Degree Program (Curso de Licenciatura Intercultural Indígena – CLII) at the Federal University of Amapá (UNIFAP) as a case study. Adopting a qualitative approach that combines institutional document analysis with a review of academic work produced by the first graduating cohorts, the study seeks to understand how this educational policy engages with the political and epistemological demands of Indigenous peoples. The text discusses the tensions between the universalist model of state education and Indigenous cognitive paradigms, problematizing the concept of "interculturality" in teacher training. Methodologically, it employs content analysis of official documents, pedagogical projects, and academic papers written by students to assess the course’s impact on the graduates' work within their communities. Preliminary findings suggest that, despite progress in recognizing the right to difference, challenges remain in achieving a higher education model that equitably integrates Western and Indigenous knowledge systems. The study contributes to the debate on affirmative action policies in the Amazon, emphasizing the need for greater Indigenous autonomy in the design of pedagogical projects that not only include, but epistemologically transform, the university.