Conclusions

Abstract

Abstract How do colonial ideologies, practices, and hierarchies “shape” activities like planning and teaching? This conclusion sheds light on this long-standing question in social theory by revisiting how the norms of state institutions influence those who pass through them, including communicative practices. The chapter reviews the double binds encountered while serving as national-level state agents, crafting a national standardized variety of Kichwa, and teaching Indigenous languages in schools, and considers possibilities for “undoing” those double binds. It also weaves together comparisons with how people have worked through and against state institutions throughout the Americas and elaborates implications for current efforts to confront state power and for Indigenous language revitalization. The comparisons especially focus on bilingual education in Mexico and Peru. The chapter ends with an epilogue of recent events related to mobilizations, presidential policies, and a return to “autonomy” for the bilingual school system.