Quisieron Enterrarnos, Pero No Sabían Que Éramos Semillas: The Ayotzinapa 43 and the Historical Legacy of Las Escuelas Normales Rurales, 1921-2014

Abstract

In September of 2014, forty-three normalistas from the Escuela de Ayotzinapa were forcibly disappeared. While their whereabouts remain unknown, the attacks and subsequential forced disappearances is but one of many attacks the escuela normal rural has faced since its formation in 1926. This thesis traces the development of rural education in the post-revolutionary Mexican State and how its development provides insight into the 2014 forced disappearances. Additionally, I examine how the Escuela de Ayotzinapa’s legacy of a socialist education has historically been opposed. During its early years of operation, this form of education was predominantly challenged by conservatives and Catholics. However, following the Institutional Revolutionary Party’s (PRI) right-winged shift in 1940, the federal government began the process of devaluing rural education. This shift also provides insight into the 2014 attacks. I analyze the contestations of power between the government and the normalistas, and how this battle is still ongoing.

Date of Award	2024
Original language	American English
Awarding Institution	Eastern Illinois University
Supervisor	Aura Jirau Arroyo (Supervisor)