The Symmetrical Curriculum in the Training of Health and Food Professionals with the Original Peoples: The Experience with the Wixárika of Mexico

Abstract

In this work, it´s analyzed the curriculum design of bachelor´s degree in health science and human feeding from an intercultural view with Wixarika community in Mexico, as part of the project for the construction and creation of the Interethnic Cultural University Wixárika which is guided by the methodology of participative research action with leaders of the Wixarika ethnic, based on cultural interethnic dialogues' ethnographic research technique. The graduate profile is created and based on a competence approach sustained on Activity theory and “Symmetrical Curriculum” concept, of which traditional feeding and health knowledge are recovered to be critically integrated to the occidental knowledge. The curriculum map and structure are organized by the real problems of the Wixarika's world, the integral axes of professional practices and scientific reflection of medicine, traditional food productive systems, the health system and the productive occidental projects. It’s concluded that the theory and methodology are a vein that can allow the formation of intercultural human resources based on knowledge dialogue on equal situations that can develop intercultural medicine in the country.