Language, Ideology and Power: Language-Learning Among the Muslims of Pakistan and North India (review)

This book is a lengthy study of language learning among the Muslims of Pakistan and North India. It consists of sixteen chapters, in addition to a preface, fourteen appendices, a comprehensive bibliography, and an index. In Ch. 1, the introduction, Rahman provides a detailed description of the school system in Pakistan, including both schools supported by the state and others established and funded by religious institutions or groups. Ch. 2 establishes the theoretical framework for the study, in which R provides definitions of concepts such as power, ideology, worldview, and language acquisition. Each chapter from 3 to 13 is devoted to an examination of the history of the teaching of individual languages such as Arabic, Persian, English, Urdu, Sindhi, Pashto, Punjabi, Balochi, and other, minor languages, in addition to their present status in the school system. Ch. 14 explores the teaching of foreign languages that were not included in the Pakistani school system in the past such as French, German, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Turkish, and Hindi. Ch. 15 examines, from a theoretical perspective, language texts and how they shape learners’ worldviews. And, finally, Ch. 16 provides a conclusion to the study and makes recommendations, for example, that English should be taught to all children in Pakistan in order for them to gain access to a liberal democratic worldview and for them to acquire international mobility. Furthermore, R identifies problems facing the teaching of English, important among which is the problem of finding competent teachers.

While a major part of the book is a historical study of teaching and learning languages in designated geographical areas, the main thematic thread throughout is the link between power and language. Language learning, R maintains, is linked to employment opportunities and social prestige (22). Native Pakistani languages, for example, are often perceived by many to be not particularly conducive to employment for political and educational reasons. What makes R’s study invaluable is that it sheds light on the status of language teaching and learning in multilingual communities in Pakistan and North India, with special focus on a community defined by its religious affiliation to the exclusion of other communities. R’s study may be an impetus for further research by others to complete the task begun by him. It would be not only interesting but also significant, for comparative reasons, to explore the history and current status of language teaching and learning among other religious groups in Pakistan and North India. Such insights into complex linguistic communities are of value to linguists in general, as well as language planners and educational policy-makers and politicians, among many others.

This book is engaging, written in clear, lucid prose. Occasionally, however, some expressions are colored by R’s Pakistani English (54, 1.3). One grammatical error went unnoticed (12). One author’s name, Khleif, was spelled differently (51, 59, and 651); the order of authors in the bibliography was misplaced (Mitre was cited before Minault; 654). Despite these minor points, R has written a well-researched book and has provided a valuable source for anyone interested in the linguistic situation in Pakistan and North India, or in the study of multilingual communities in general.