Epistemocracy in the face of indigenous wisdoms and epistemic equity in the face of the pandemic of covid-19

Abstract

This article seeks is to understand some social consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on the poorest and most vulnerable population in Latin America, especially in Mexico, as well as to assess governmental strategies in the context of capitalist globalization, dependence and internal colonialism, that mainly affect ethnic communities. Many indigenous communities have shown great resilience and resistance to COVID 19 pandemic and its social consequences, based on their autonomy and traditional knowledge, which have not been taken into account in governmental policies. The dominant strategy for tackling the pandemic a problems is enclosed a paradigm based on capitalism, scientific rationalism, and state central power, which is inadequate to solve the most urgent problems in Mexico and Latin America. Thus, it is necessary to innovate alternative strategies that take into account cosmological views, knowledges and practices of indigenous communities that have been efficient for facing the pandemic and integrate them into a new intercultural, communitarian, cooperative and democratic paradigm.