Language and intercultural mediation in the Peruvian regions of Apurímac, Ayacucho and Huancavelica

Abstract

Introduction: Intercultural education in the Peruvian Andes faces linguistic, epistemological, and ontological tensions that schools are not always able to address effectively. This study examines these tensions and the strategies of identity mediation from the perspectives of university graduates in education from the regions of Apurímac, Ayacucho, and Huancavelica, considering teachers as cultural mediators between Andean memory and the modern school system.

Methods: This qualitative, exploratory-descriptive study employed a non-experimental multiple-case design. The sample consisted of 30 university graduates selected through purposive sampling until theoretical saturation was reached. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews (28 questions) and observation, organized into four phases: preparation, fieldwork, analysis (using inductive coding), and reporting.

Results: Four major tensions were identified. (1) A linguistic hierarchy that stigmatizes Quechua, generating internalized shame; teachers counteract this through strategies such as singing the national anthem in Quechua, although without institutional support. (2) Epistemological mediation: Andean knowledge systems—including environmental signs, traditional medicine, and the yupana—remain functionally relevant but are excluded under Western epistemological criteria. (3) Ontological contradictions between the materialist worldview promoted by formal schooling and the relational ontology of the Andes, which attributes life and agency to non-human entities. (4) Conflicts between Evangelical Christianity and Andean ritual practices, whereby cultural expressions are condemned as "demonic," generating tensions surrounding traditional dances and community activities, which teachers address through improvised mediation strategies.

Conclusions: Schools tend to reinforce pre-existing hierarchies, while cultural mediation depends largely on teachers' individual initiative rather than on systematic educational policies. Effective intercultural teachers act as cultural mediators with an ethnographic disposition. These findings highlight the need to rethink teacher education from the perspectives of cultural anthropology and critical sociolinguistics. Although limited to a qualitative regional study, the research provides interpretive evidence without claiming statistical generalizability.