Entre telas e silenciamentos: exclusão digital e invisibilização epistemológica no ensino superior indígena

Abstract

This article analyzes how the COVID-19 pandemic exposed colonial continuities within Indigenous higher education in Brazil, particularly regarding digital exclusion and the epistemological invisibility experienced by Indigenous students at the Federal University of Tocantins (UFT), Porto Nacional Campus. Grounded in qualitative and exploratory research, the study combines bibliographic review, document analysis, and narratives of Akwẽ-Xerente students concerning their experiences during and after Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT). The article argues that digital exclusion extends beyond technical limitations of internet access and technological infrastructure, constituting also an expression of epistemological inequalities embedded in Brazilian universities. The findings demonstrate that standardized digital platforms and homogeneous pedagogical models disregarded Indigenous territorialities, knowledge systems, and cultural specificities, intensifying difficulties related to academic retention and institutional belonging. The study concludes that Indigenous digital inclusion requires permanent policies focused on technological infrastructure, intercultural training, and recognition of epistemological plurality within higher education.

Keywords: digital exclusion; interculturality; Indigenous students; higher education; Indigenous epistemologies.