Abstract
Higher education programs in Brazil, especially those in business administration, have been historically established and designed by the upper classes for their political and developmentalist interests. The affirmative action of reserving places for indigenous people in the Brazilian public universities - such as in the case of the state universities of Paraná, from 2001 - became an important novelty. This policy, however, has been criticized by indigenous students given the existing barriers in the educational structure, which disregards dilemmas experienced by these students in their ethnic-community and academic spaces. The objective of this study is to identify and analyze the understandings, expectations, and dilemmas present in the educational paths of indigenous students enrolled in administration programs in the state universities of Paraná, Brazil. The testimony strategy was used to understand and analyze the educational experiences of indigenous students. The research indicated what it is like to be an indigenous higher education student of administration in the academic and ethnic-community spaces, besides pointing out anxieties regarding the world of work as indigenous administrators.
Keywords:
Indigenous student; Indigenous peoples; Double Belonging; Administration; Testimony