The Right To Learn Our (M)other Tongues.pdf

Mneesha Gellman's article explores bilingual, intercultural education policies and practices in El Salvador and Mexico, focusing on indigenous languages and neoliberal citizenship. Key points include:

- Legacies of Assimilation and Neoliberal Homogenization: Both countries have histories of rendering indigenous citizens as mestizos, prioritizing certain kinds of citizenship over others.
- Case Studies: The article examines the communities of Izalco, El Salvador, and Acteal, Chiapas, to analyze how indigenous peoples navigate language policies and practices amidst state homogenizing tendencies.
- Language Policies and Practices: Both countries engage in 'linguistic hegemony,' constraining medium of instruction options in formal education, with English and Spanish prized over indigenous languages.
- Community Resistance: Despite state agendas, indigenous communities in both countries are reclaiming the right to language through formal education, with autonomously funded language learning projects in local schools.
- Impact on Youth Identity: The maintenance of space for indigenous cultural practices in schools affects youth identity formation, despite variations in state-derived obstacles to heritage tongue medium of instruction.