The Intercultural Frontier Schools Program (PEIF) as language policy

Abstract

The Intercultural Schools at the Frontier Program (PEIF), as part of Mercosur language policies, celebrated ten years in 2015. During this time, numerous actions have taken place and much has been written about them. In this article, based on official documents and field studies, we aimed at presenting an overview of its current situation and analyzing the language policies produced. Given the new political and economic context in which the program’s actions are suffering cuts and delays, it is necessary to consider this moment as an opportunity to assess what has been done, check which of the initial objectives continue to guide the PEIF, and re guide the actions according to the needs and problems arising during this first decade of progress. In order to do that, we assume the theoretical and methodological framework of the Language Policies (SPOLSKY, 2004; Mc CARTY, 2011), which seems enlightening for this task, and it is here presented as the basis for the analysis. We begin by recalling the main points of the founders of PEIF. Next, we confront them with preliminary data from our ethnographic research, arising from the field, in the border region São Borja (BR) - Santo Tomé (AR), and finally we offer a reflection on the continuities and disruptions that emerge from this language policy proposal.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.12957/matraga.2016.20785