Although the pedagogic device is viewed as a crucial element within the sociology of education, little research explores its historical development. This paper explores some iterations of the pedagogic device over the last 40 years, focusing on its origins in South America. By exploring Bernstein's ideas of the pedagogic device and pedagogic rights alongside Freire's understanding of activism, this paper demonstrates a dual purpose for the pedagogic device – of and for transmission and interruption. The theoretical proposition of this paper was informed by empirical work co-produced with 26 teacher activists working in Chilean compulsory schooling. The findings from the broader project show that teacher activism is not external to the pedagogic device but a cornerstone to it. By demonstrating the potential of the pedagogic device for interruption and transformation in Chilean schooling, we provide a retrospective account of the Southern influences on its development, revealing the importance of the Global South in shaping one of Bernstein's enduring ideas.