Abstract
Indigenous language revitalization is a popular focus of critical theorists. From the perspective of sociolinguists, critical theory interrogates language policies to name and shame inequalities and propose solutions to correct injustices and emancipate the disadvantaged. From a broader perspective, languagerevitalization policy also resides within national and international political agendas for the restoration of indigenous self-determination, including not just language, but also indigenous cultures, governance, and philosophies in the wake of imperialist oppression of native peoples. However, in terms of indigenouslanguage revitalization specifically, are self-determination and the objectives of critical theory one and the same? This article considers this question and suggests that the emancipatory goals of critical theory are not necessarily synonymous with self-determination. Instead, language policies that support self-determinationmay conversely impede language revitalization processes by creating onerous demands on indigenousindividuals who might instead conceptualize their own linguistic emancipation in ways self-determinationdoes not.
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