Can State Offices Reclaim Kichwa? Intercultural Bilingual Education Politics and Policy in Ecuador Over Decades.

This article examines the opportunities and challenges of reclaiming Indigenous languages within state institutions through the case of Ecuador’s intercultural bilingual education (EIB) system, which is run by and for Indigenous pueblos and nationalities. Despite increased visibility and constitutional recognition of Kichwa—Ecuador’s most prominent Indigenous language—the article identifies three main challenges: ongoing state control and domination, difficulties arising from the standardization of Kichwa (Unified Kichwa) that can alienate diverse speakers, and the pressure to adapt Indigenous language use to dominant state norms and audiences, often privileging Spanish. The analysis is based on two years of ethnographic research in national policymaking offices and schools, highlighting the complex contradictions of using state institutions to support Indigenous language revitalization while also altering the languages and their social meanings. Recent political developments, including Indigenous-led protests and shifts in school system autonomy, underscore the continuing tensions between Indigenous language advocacy and state bureaucratic structures.