North America: Mexico “Teaching International Relations Theory in Oaxaca, Mexico: Local Analysis and National Perspective”

The content of this chapter is divided into two parts. The first describes how IR Theory is taught at the Universidad del Mar, in Oaxaca, Mexico (the South of the Global South), to students from indigenous and non-indigenous communities characterized by educational structural disadvantages. This part also describes how geographical location influences the course contents in six different ways (geopolitical, cognitive, environmental, maritime, identity and multicultural). It also explains why teaching Feminism is fundamental to prevent systematic violations of human rights of young women in different villages. The second part provides an overview of how IR Theory is taught in Mexico at the national level by presenting the “voices” of some of the most recognized academic experts, men and women, from public and private universities all over the nation. To do this, the author conducted a basic survey to 27 scholars from 17 universities to identify: how relevant the course of IR Theory is considered; which theories predominate; their distinction between positivist, post-positivist, critical and problem-solving theories, and their linkage with methodology. Finally, different pedagogies used by the surveyed scholars are mentioned.