Critical pedagogy from Indigenous philosophical notions on the hatred of equality.

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Abstract

This paper explores how Zapatista Indigenous communities challenge the Western philosophical aversion to equality by developing alternative critical pedagogy rooted in collective justice. Focusing on La Escuelita Zapatista (The Little Zapatista School)—a project that welcomed global activists and scholars—the study analyzes how Zapatistas denaturalize the idea that economic inequality is inevitable or randomly distributed. Drawing on original primary sources, the paper argues that these Global South communities offer philosophical perspectives capable of reshaping dominant educational frameworks. Instead of reinforcing meritocracy, competition, and individualism, their educational approach promotes cooperation and collective opportunity. The Zapatista model thus presents a decolonial foundation that contests prevailing assumptions about inequality, offering vital contributions to rethinking educational philosophy from outside Western paradigms.

Author

• Raul Olmo Fregoso Bailón, University of Nevada - Reno