Curriculum studies in Mexico

history and current circumstances

Frida D. Barriga Arceo

pp. 75-90

in: William F. Pinar (ed), Curriculum studies in Mexico, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 2011

Abstract

As is the case elsewhere, in Mexico it has been difficult to define what is understood by curriculum studies and to specify its disciplinary limits, its borders with other fields of educational research. This difficulty is understandable as there is neither a unified gaze nor a unique or hegemonic focus that allows us to delimit the range of research topics, problematic areas or situations that belong only to curriculum research. The concept of curriculum is characterized by its polysemic character, supplemented by the fact that it is a theme open to controversy. What is understood by curriculum has always been linked to diverse paradigms associated with diverse disciplines, and to politics both national and international in scope, wherein conflicting conceptions and vested interests are expressed.