Abstract

In this research, we analyze the experiences of school choice of families from sociocultural minorities in the Chilean education market. The study is based on qualitative research that includes a sample of 21 interviews with two subgroups: Mapuche families and Latin American immigrant parents. The findings allow us to identify the main background, criteria, concerns and expectations of immigrant and Mapuche families that participated in the study regarding the school choice for their sons and daughters, and show that ethnicity and culture intersect with the social class to produce unequal experiences in accessing the school system. Furthermore, the investigation sheds light on the different and variegated expressions of cultural and institutional racism and discrimination, as well as the main particularities that, considering their social and territorial contexts, experienced each sociocultural minority during school choice processes. To conclude, the article rescues the value of illuminating the experience of sociocultural minorities studied from critical theoretical approaches, to clarify the dynamics of inclusion and exclusion in school systems.